Montipora grisea
| Montipora grisea | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Acroporidae |
| Genus: | Montipora |
| Species: | M. grisea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Montipora grisea Bernard, 1897
| |
Montipora grisea is a small polyped stony coral in the family Acroporidae.
Description
It is an encrusting species considered to be massively sized, with "thick unifacial plates." [2] It is usually dark brown or green in color, but also appears in shades of blue or pink.[2]
-
Pink -
Green -
Brown
Distribution & habitat
Montipora grisea has a vast range, found within the reefs of forty-five countries and territories throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans.[1] It exists at depths of 3 to 20 meters, with a preference for "shallow, tropical reef environments on upper reef slopes." [1]
Despite being considered a common species with a presently large population, Montipora grisea faces an array of threats.[1] It is moderately susceptible to bleaching, though notably less so than Acropora corals.[1] Other threats include predation from the crown-of-thorns starfish, harvesting for the aquarium trade, climate change and ocean acidification.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f DeVantier, L., Hodgson, G., Huang, D., Johan, O., Licuanan, A., Obura, D.O., Sheppard, C., Syahrir, M. & Turak, E., 2014. Montipora grisea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016.1.
- ^ a b Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2013. Montipora grisea. Montipora grisea. Corals of the World.