''Seriatopora'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of colonial

stony corals Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a mo ...

in the family

Pocilloporidae The Pocilloporidae are a family of stony corals in the order Scleractinia occurring in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Description Pocilloporids are colonial and most species are reef-building. They are very variable in size and shape, some bein ...

. They are commonly known as needle corals, birdsnest corals or finger corals. They are native to the Red Sea, the Indo-Pacific region and some parts of the Central Pacific Ocean.

Characteristics

Members of this genus form small bushes with anastomising (linking) branches. The branch tips are sharply tapered and the growth forms are variable, depending on the level of light and the movement of water. The

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 are arranged in neat rows and the polyps only extend at night. The colour of these corals can be yellow, orange, pink, green or brown.

Species

The following

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

are listed in the

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

(WoRMS): * '' Seriatopora aculeata'' Quelch, 1886 * '' Seriatopora caliendrum'' Ehrenberg, 1834 * '' Seriatopora dentritica'' Veron, 2000 * '' Seriatopora guttata'' Veron, 2000 * '' Seriatopora hystrix'' Dana, 1846 * '' Seriatopora octoptera'' Ehrenberg, 1834 * '' Seriatopora stellata'' Quelch, 1886

References

Pocilloporidae Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Scleractinia genera {{scleractinia-stub