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Identifying Reef Invertebrates.

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Cnidarian Taxonomy

Phylum Cnidaria (Classes Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, Anthozoa, Cubozoa)

Class Anthozoa
Subclass Zoantharia

Order Scleractinia - Reef Building Hard Corals
Order Actinaria - Anemones
Order Zoanthidae - Zooanthids

Subclass Octocorallia or Alcyonaria (8 tentacles)

Order Alcyonacea - Soft corals
Order Gorgonacea - Gorgonian corals
Order Neptheidae – Neptheid corals

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Acroporidae (Acropora, Montipora)

Largest family, v.common on Indo-Pacific Reefs.
Acropora characterised by a distinct apical polyp on the branch tip
Fast-growing plate, bush, & staghorn morphologies common
Acropora spp. are preferred food of Crown of Thorns Starfish
Montipora are usually encrusting sheets, v.small polyps *

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Common Families of Scleractinia (Hard Corals)

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Acroporid Corals - Plate or Table Morphologies

Acropora hyacynthis

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Acroporid Corals - Bushy Morphologies

Acropora millepora

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Acroporid Corals - Digitate Morphologies

Acropora monticulosa

← Acropora humilis

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Acroporid Corals - Staghorn Morphologies

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Acroporid Corals - Encrusting Morphologies (Montipora)

Montipora turtlensis

Montipora hispida

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Acroporid Corals - Foliacious Morphologies (Montipora)

Montipora aequituberculata

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Small bushy colonies, brown or pink
Pocillopora sp. have wart-like verrucae
Common pioneer species
Most species reproduce by “brooding”, where mobile sperm fertilise the egg in situ, and the planula larvae develops within the parent colony before release.
Planulae are competent to settle upon release
Symbiotic crabs live in most colonies *

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Pocilloporidae (Pocillopora, Seriatopora, Stylophora)

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Pocilloporid Corals

Pocillopora eydouxi

Verrucae →

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Pocilloporid Corals

Pocillopora damacornis

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Pocilloporid Corals

Seriatopora hystrix

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Pocilloporid Corals

Stylophora pistillata

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Fungiidae (Fungia, 13 other genera)

Large, solitary, free living coral polyps
Individuals can reproduce sexually, but new colonies can also be budded off the parent asexually.
Heliofungia spp have long tentacles,and can resemble anemones *

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Fungid Corals

Fungia paumotensis

Natural aggregation

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Fungid Corals

Fungia, Herpolitha (R), Sandalolitha spp.

Polyphyllia

Tentacles extended

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Fungid Corals – Heliofungia spp.

Heliofungia actiniformis

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Family Poritidae (Porites, Goniopora, 3 other genera)

Important reef framework builders. Slow growth (2cm/yr) but extreme longevity and size - some reach 800yo and 16m diameter.
Found in nearly all reef habitats through the Indo-Pacific, from turbid coastal reefs to oceanic atolls.
Porites form micro-atolls when they grow in shallow water, when the top of the coral is killed through exposure.
Submassive (P. rus) and branching forms (P. cylindrica) with large colony sizes are also common.
Very small polyps distinguish genus Porites from other massive corals.
In contrast, the genus Goniopora spp have large fleshy polyps on long stalks, that retract quickly if touched. *

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Massive Corals

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Family Poritidae – massive growth forms

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Family Poritidae – massive colour varieties

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Family Poritidae – massive growth forms, depth limited

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Poritid Corals – Submassive growth forms

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Poritid Corals

Porites cylindrica

Porites rus

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Poritid Corals - Goniopora

Goniopora tenuidens

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Merulinidae (Favia, Goniastrea, 24 other genera)

Common & diverse family, second only to the Acroporidae in number of species.
Slow growing, robust massive colonies, with large distinct polyps. Not quite as huge as Porites, but many species are capable of living many centuries.
Some species have elongated calices with many polyps - “brain” corals.
Taxonomic differentiation of Merulinid genera often relies on polyp characteristics, especially shared or separate walls. *

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Massive Corals – Family Merulinidae

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Merulinid Corals – Genus Dipsastrea – plocoid corallites

Dipsastrea lizardensis

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Merulinid Corals – Genus Favites – cerioid corallites

Favites spp.

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Merulinid Corals – genus Platygyra – meandroid corallites

Platygyra sinensis

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Merulinid Corals - meandroid corallites

Oulophyllia spp.

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Order Actinaria (Anemones)

Large single polyp, no skeleton
Stinging tentacles catch food, many are

also zooxanthellate

Large spp. have symbiotic damselfishes

(Amphiprion spp.) among the tentacles

Order Zooantharia (Zooanthids)

Small colonial Cnidarians with polyps
No hard skeleton
Palythoa spp. extremely toxic *

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Other members of Sub-Class Zoantharia

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Anemones

Heteractis magnifica

Entamacea quadricolor

Stichodactyla spp.

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Zooanthids

Protopalythoa sp.

Palythoa sp.

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Alcyoniidae (Lobophyton, Sinularia )

Fleshy soft-corals, dominant on Indo-Pacific reefs
most have toxic tissues to deter predators, as well as embedded sclerites of CaCO3

Nepthiidae (Nepthea, Dendronepthea)

Branched soft corals with clusters of polyps. Sclerites are close to the surface and may be felt by touch.
Neptheids are often brightly coloured, and found in areas of current flow

Gorgoniidae (Subergorgia, Echinogorgia)

Fan corals with an internal skeleton of gorgonin, small inconspicuous sclerites.
Common in high current areas *

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Sub-Class Octocorallia (Soft Corals – 23 families)

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Alcyonid Soft Corals

Sinularia spp.

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Alcyonid Soft Corals

Lobophytum spp.

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Alcyonid Soft Corals

Sarcophyton spp.

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Neptheid Soft Corals

Dendronepthya spp.

spicules

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Neptheid Soft Corals

Dendronepthya spp.

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Gorgonian Soft Corals

Melithaea spp.

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Gorgonian Soft Corals

Anella spp.

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Asteroidea

Starfish, all predators, eg. blue Linkia, Acanthaster planci (COTS).

Echinoidea

Urchins, all algal feeders, eg.Diadema spp.

Crinoidea

Feather Stars, filter-feeding organisms, eg. Comanthus spp.

Holothuroidea

Sea Cucumbers, mostly sediment processors, eg. Holothuria spp.

Ophuroidea

Brittle stars, detritus feeders, eg. Ophiomastix spp.

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Phylum Echinodermata (5 Classes)

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Echinoderms - Asteroidea

Acanthaster solaris

Linkia laevigata

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Echinoderms - Asteroidea

Fromia indica

Gomphia sp.

Nardoa sp.

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Echinoderms - Echinoidea

Diadema setosum

Echinometra spp.

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Echinoderms - Crinoidea

Himerometra spp.

Comanthina spp.

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Echinoderms - Holothuroidea

Stichopus chloronatus

Thelenota ananas

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Echinoderms - Holothuroidea

Bohadschia argus

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Echinoderms - Holothuroidea

Holothuria atra

Holothuria edulis

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Echinoderms - Ophiuroidea

Ophiomastix variabilis

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Gastropoda

Single shelled molluscs, and Nudibranchs or sea slugs.
Carnivorous and herbivorous feeding modes common.

Bivalvia

Dual shelled molluscs, eg. Giant Clams Tridacna gigas.
Most are filter feeders.
Many species bore down into living and dead coral for shelter

Cephalopoda

Modern taxa are Squid, Cuttlefish, Octopus; older Nautilus.
All active predators. The 3 modern groups have well developed eyes, and can move quickly using jet propulsion.
Fast metabolism, relatively short life spans (3-24 months) *

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Phylum Mollusca (3 Major Coral Reef Classes)

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Molluscs – Gastropoda - Conidae

Conus marmoreus

Conus eburneus

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Molluscs – Gastropoda - Strombidae

Lambis crocata

Strombus aurisdianae

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Molluscs - Gastropoda – Cypraeidae, Ovulidae

Cyprea tigris

Ovula ovum

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Molluscs - Gastropoda – Trochidae, Haliotidae

Trochus niloticus

Haliotis asinina

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Molluscs - Gastropoda – Volutidae, Ranellidae

Melo amphora

Charonia tritonis

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Opisthobranch Molluscs - Nudibranchs or “Sea-Slugs”

Chromodoris magnifica

Phyllidia varicosa

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Opisthobranch Molluscs - Nudibranchs or “Sea-Slugs”

Bornella anguilla

Risbecia tryoni

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