''Siderastrea siderea'', commonly known as massive starlet coral or round starlet coral, is a stony coral in the
family Siderastreidae. It is found in shallow parts of the western Atlantic Ocean as solid boulder-shaped or domed structures.
Description
''Siderastrea siderea'' is a
colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
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* Colonial (1920 a ...
coral that forms low domes or boulder-shaped structures with a smooth dimpled surface as much as wide on the seabed.
[ It can be encrusting when young.][ 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, the calcareous cup-shaped depressions in which the polyps sit, are about wide with about 50 or 60 little ridges called septa.
Distribution and habitat
''Siderastrea siderea'' is found in the Caribbean Sea and the northern Gulf of Mexico and round the coasts of southern Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda. It can occur at depths of up to but is most common in less than of water. It is found on rocks in various reef environments but not in tidal pools or muddy areas.[
In the ]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
, the massive starlet coral is listed as being critically endangered. It is moderately susceptible to coral bleaching but is capable of recovering when conditions improve.
Research
''Siderastrea siderea'' is a very slow growing species that lives to a great age. In a study, cores were drilled and samples taken from the coral in different zones in order to determine whether rates of growth had changed over the last hundred years. It was found that for backreef and nearshore specimens, the rates of extension of the skeleton had not changed significantly in this time period. However, the rate of growth for forereef corals had declined dramatically, this zone changing from being the one in which the fastest growth took place to the one with the slowest rates of extension. The reasons for this were not studied but possible causes include increased sedimentation and turbidity of the water, eutrophication or thermal stress. In the Florida Keys, this species showed greater rates of growth (calcification) in the remote Dry Tortugas National Park compared to at other off-shore sites on the Florida reef tract.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3328352
Siderastreidae
Corals described in 1786