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Date & Time : 5, November 2024 21:24
Classification
Phylum - Cnidaria
Class - Hydrozoa
Order - Milleporina
Genus - Millepora
Common Name
Stinging coral
Geographical Distribution
These are found in tropical seas of West Indies and U.S.A., often associated with coral reefs.
Habitat
Colonial marine coral found in shallow water.
Identifying Features
- Colony consists of branching calcareous growths up to 30-60 cm in height and is white or yellowish in colour.
- Epidermis secretes a calcareous perisarc which forms a braod base through which it is attached to the rocks.
- The body surface contains innumerable pores which are of two types:
- large gastropores; separated by each other by a distance of 1-2 mm
- small dactylopores, distributed irregularly
- Colony have 2 kinds of zooids - gastrozooids and dactylozooids.
- Gastrozooids are nutritive zooids which protrude through gastropores. These are shorter and have a mouth surrounded by 4-6 tentacles.
- Dactylozooids or protective zooids arise from dactylopores. These are longer, slender and are devoid of mouth. They are provided with short tentacles beset with batteries of namatocysts.
- Medusae or gonophores are minute which do not have mouth and tentacles. They bud off directly from the coenosarc and are present in calcareous rounded chambers called ampullae.
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