''Stylaraea'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of marine stony corals in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Poritidae. It is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus and the only species is ''Stylaraea punctata''. This coral is native to shallow tidal pools in tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Description

''Stylaraea punctata'' is probably the smallest of the zooxanthellate corals, being circular, encrusting, and usually less than in diameter. The polyps are flower-like and less than across, each having twelve tentacles. The cup-shaped

corallite A corallite is the skeletal cup, formed by an individual stony coral polyp, in which the polyp sits and into which it can retract. The cup is composed of aragonite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, and is secreted by the polyp. Corallit ...

s in which they sit have a solid central columella and poorly-developed calcareous

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

in two whorls of six. The colouring of this coral is usually pale brown or purple with white septa and columella.

Distribution and habitat

''Stylaraea punctata'' is known from widely separated locations in the tropical Indo-Pacific region including East Africa, the Seychelles, Indonesia, the Great Barrier Reef and Guam. It is possible that it is present in other locations as it is easily overlooked. Its habitat is shallow tidal pools seldom more than half a metre deep, just above the sediment and hidden under dead pieces of coral or under massive

coralline algae Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls. The colors of these algae are most typically pink, or some other shade of re ...

. In these locations it suffers little competition from other coral species.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

lists ''Stylaraea punctata'' as "

Data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

" as it has insufficient evidence to judge its status and whether any conservation measures are required. Like other corals, this species is likely to be affected by such factors as a rise in sea temperature and

ocean acidification Ocean acidification is the reduction in the pH value of the Earth’s ocean. Between 1751 and 2021, the average pH value of the ocean surface has decreased from approximately 8.25 to 8.14. The root cause of ocean acidification is carbon dioxid ...

due to

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, and as a result be more susceptible to coral diseases.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17141615 Poritidae Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards Cnidarian genera Taxa named by Jules Haime