Montipora

''Montipora'' is a genus of Scleractinian corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of the genus ''Montipora'' may exhibit many different growth morphologies. With eighty five known species, ''Montipora'' is the second most species rich coral genus after '' Acropora''.

Description

Growth morphologies for the genus ''Montipora'' include submassive, laminar, foliaceous, encrusting, and branching. It is not uncommon for a single ''Montipora'' colony to display more than one growth morphology. Healthy ''Montipora'' corals can be a variety of colors, including orange, brown, pink, green, blue, purple, yellow, grey, or tan. Although they are typically uniform in color, some species, such as ''Montipora spumosa'' or ''Montipora verrucosa'', may display a mottled appearance.

''Montipora'' corals have the smallest corallites of any coral family. Columellae are not present. Coenosteum and corallite walls are porous, which can result in elaborate structures. The coenosteum of each ''Montipora'' species is different, making it useful for identification. Polyps are typically only extended at night.

''Montipora'' corals are commonly mistaken for members of the genus ''Porites'' based on their visual similarities, however, ''Porites'' can be distinguished from ''Montipora'' by examining the structure of the corallites.

Distribution

''Montipora'' corals are common on reefs and lagoons of the Red Sea, the western Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean, but are entirely absent in the Atlantic Ocean.

Ecology

''Montipora'' corals are hermaphroditic broadcast spawners. Spawning typically happens in spring. The eggs of ''Montipora'' corals already contain zooxanthellae, so none is obtained from the environment. This process is known as direct or vertical transmission.

''Montipora'' corals are preyed upon by corallivorous fish, such as butterflyfish. ''Montipora'' corals are known to host endo- and ectoparasites such as ''Allopodion mirum'' and ''Xarifia extensa''. A currently undescribed species of nudibranch in the genus ''Phestilla'' has also been reported in the scientific and aquarium hobbyist literature to feed on the genus.

''Montipora'' corals are susceptible to the same stresses as other Scleractinian corals, such as anthropogenic pollution, sediment, algal growth, and other competitive organisms.

Evolutionary history

A 2007 study found that the genus ''Montipora'' formed a strongly supported clade with '' Anacropora'', making it the genus with the closest genetic relationship to ''Montipora''. It is thought that ''Anacropora'' evolved from ''Montipora'' relatively recently.

Gallery

File:Leaf plate montipora.gk.jpg, ''Montipora capricornis''
File:Montipora aequituberculata, coralitos.jpeg, Polyps of '' Montipora aequituberculata''
File:Montipora aequituberculata, Ningaloo.jpg, ''Montipora aequituberculata'' colonies near Ningaloo Reef
File:Montipora caliculata.jpg, ''Montipora caliculata''
File:Montipora capitata, Kailua.jpg, Branching colony of '' Montipora capitata'' in Hawaii
File:Montipora capitata, Samoa Americana 2.jpg, Encrusting colony of '' Montipora capitata''
File:Montipora danae, pólipos.jpeg, Polyps of ''Montipora danae''
File:Montipora ehrenbergii.jpg, ''Montipora ehrenbergii''
File:Montipora grisea.jpg, ''Montipora grisea''
File:Montipora hispida, Lizard I..jpeg, ''Montipora hispida''
File:Montipora hispida, pólipos.jpeg, Polyps of ''Montipora hispida''
File:Montipora monasteriata, pólipos.jpeg, Polyps of ''Montipora monasteriata''
File:Montipora nodosa.jpg, ''Montipora nodosa''
File:Montipora tuberculosa Réunion 2.jpg, ''Montipora tuberculosa''
File:Montiporaverrucosa.jpg, ''Montipora verrucosa'' at Birch Aquarium in San Diego, CA

Species

* '' Montipora aequituberculata'' Bernard, 1897
* ''Montipora altasepta'' Nemenzo, 1967
* ''Montipora angulata'' Lamarck, 1816
* ''Montipora aspergillus'' Veron, DeVantier & Turak, 2000
* ''Montipora australiensis'' Bernard, 1897
* ''Montipora biformis'' Nemenzo, 1988
* ''Montipora cactus'' Bernard, 1897
* ''Montipora calcarea'' Bernard, 1897
* ''Montipora calculata'' Dana, 1846
* '' Montipora capitata'' Dana, 1846
* ''Montipora capricornis'' Veron, 1985
* ''Montipora cebuensis'' Nemenzo, 1976
* '' Montipora circumvallata'' Ehrenberg, 1834
* '' Montipora cocosensis'' Vaughan, 1918
* '' Montipora confusa'' Nemenzo, 1967
* '' Montipora conspicua'' Nemenzo, 1979
* '' Montipora contorta'' Nemenzo & Montecillo, 1981
* '' Montipora corbettensis'' Veron & Wallace, 1984
* '' Montipora crassituberculata'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora cryptus'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora danae'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851
* '' Montipora delicatula'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora digitata'' Dana, 1846
* '' Montipora dilatata'' Studer, 1901
* '' Montipora echinata'' Veron, DeVantier & Turak, 2000
* '' Montipora edwardsi'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora efflorescens'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora effusa'' Dana, 1846
* '' Montipora ehrenbergi'' Verrill, 1872
* '' Montipora explanata'' Brüggemann, 1879
* '' Montipora flabellata'' Studer, 1901
* '' Montipora florida'' Nemenzo, 1967
* '' Montipora floweri'' Wells, 1954
* '' Montipora foliosa'' Pallas, 1766
* '' Montipora foveolata'' Dana, 1846
* '' Montipora friabilis'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora gaimardi'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora gracilis'' Klunzinger, 1879
* ''Montipora grisea'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora hemispherica'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora hirsuta'' Nemenzo, 1967
* '' Montipora hispida Dana, 1846
*'' Montipora hodgsoni'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora hoffmeisteri'' Wells, 1954
* '' Montipora incrassata'' Dana, 1846
* '' Montipora informis'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora kellyi'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora lobulata'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora mactanensis'' Nemenzo, 1979
* '' Montipora malampaya'' Nemenzo, 1967
* '' Montipora maldivensis'' Pillai & Scheer, 1976
* '' Montipora manauliensis'' Pillai, 1967
* '' Montipora meandrina'' Ehrenberg, 1834
* '' Montipora millepora'' Crossland, 1952
* '' Montipora mollis'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora monasteriata'' Forskåi, 1775
* '' Montipora niugini'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora nodosa'' Dana, 1846
* '' Montipora orientalis'' Nemenzo, 1967
* '' Montipora pachytuberculata'' Veron, DeVantier & Turak
* '' Montipora palawanensis'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora patula'' Verrill, 1870
* '' Montipora peltiformis'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora porites'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora samarensis'' Nemenzo, 1967
* '' Montipora saudii'' Veron, DeVantier & Turak
* '' Montipora setosa'' Nemenzo, 1976
* '' Montipora sinuosa'' Pillai & Scheer, 1976
* '' Montipora spongiosa'' Ehrenberg, 1834
* '' Montipora spongodes'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora spumosa'' Lamarck, 1816
* '' Montipora stellata'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora stilosa''
* '' Montipora suvadivae'' Pillai & Scheer, 1976
* '' Montipora taiwanensis'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora tortuosa'' Dana, 1846
* '' Montipora tuberculosa'' Lamarck, 1816
* '' Montipora turgescens'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora turtlensis'' Veron & Wallace, 1984
* '' Montipora undata'' Bernard, 1897
* '' Montipora venosa'' Ehrenberg, 1834
* '' Montipora verrilli'' Vaughan, 1907
* '' Montipora verrucosa'' Lamarck, 1816
* '' Montipora verruculosa'' Veron, 2000
* '' Montipora vietnamensis'' Veron, 2000

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q145782

Acroporidae
Coral reefs
Scleractinia genera