Pocillopora sp. indet.

Fassbender, Nico, Stefanoudis, Paris V, Filander, Zoleka Nontlantla, Gendron, Gilberte, Mah, Christopher L, Mattio, Lydiane, Mortimer, Jeanne A, Moura, Carlos J, Samaai, Toufiek, Samimi-Namin, Kaveh, Wagner, Daniel, Walton, Rowana & Woodall, Lucy C, 2021, Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide, Biodiversity Data Journal 9, pp. 65970-65970 : 65970

Pocillopora sp. indet.

Materials

Type status: Other material. Taxon: scientificName: Pocillopora; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Cnidaria; class: Anthozoa; order: Scleractinia; family: Pocilloporidae; genus: Pocillopora; scientificNameAuthorship: Lamrack, 1816; Location: waterBody: Indian Ocean; country: Seychelles; locality: Aldabra N 1, Aldabra W 1, Alphonse N 1, Astove W 1, Poivre E 1 ; minimumDepthInMeters: 8.8 m; maximumDepthInMeters: 23.9 m; locationRemarks: First Descent : Seychelles Expedition ; Identification : identifiedBy: Gilberte Gendron , Nico Fassbender , Paris Stefanoudis , Rowana Walton ; dateIdentified: 2019, 2020; identificationRemarks: identified only from imagery; Event : samplingProtocol: Submersible OR Remotely Operated Vehicle OR SCUBA; Record Level: basisOfRecord: Human observation

Notes

Colonies branching. Morphology depends on the environment, with thicker, stubby branches common in high-energy environments. Maximum recorded size: 30 cm across. Corallite size is 1.1 mm. In deeper, more sheltered waters, branches are thinner and more open. Colony surface covered in skeletal bumps ( ‘verrucae’) giving a rather spiky/rough appearance. The corallites’ darker colouration gives the coral a "black peppered" appearance (Fig. 100).