EPAUnited StatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyOffice of Research and Development National Health and Environmental Effects Research LaboratoryGulf Ecology Division in Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561

Caribbean Coral

Identification

Training GuidePrepared for the EPA Coral Reef

Monitoring TeamBy Heather Reed

Caribbean Coral

Identification

Training Guide

Prepared for the EPA Coral Reef Monitoring Team

Skip to quizzes

S. mechelinii

A. cervicornis

A. palmata

A. prolifera

C. natans

D.cylindrus

D. stokesii

D. strigosa

M. annularis

D. labyrinthiformis

D. clivosa

M. cavernosa

M. faveolata

M. franksii

M. danaana

M. ferox M. lamarckiana

S. siderea

S. bournoni

Quick Reference

P. astreoides M. aliciae

A. agaricites

Acropora cervicornis

• Common Name: Staghorn Coral

• Antler-like racks of cylindrical branches

• Sometimes Brown –yellow showing a single white corallite.

• Surface shows small, protruding, tubular coralites

• has thinner, tapering branches

• Calm water• Size:1-8 ft• Branch Dia: 0.75-1.25 in • Depth: Prefer 10-60 ft

Acropora palmata• Common Name: Elkhorn coral• Flattened branches resembling elk or

moose horns. • Surface shows small, protruding,

tubular corallites (raised polyps give it a knubby texture)

• Sometimes have algal chimney tufts• White terminal corallites give the edges

of outer branches a white outline.• Branches orient parallel to surge

direction • Colony size: 3-12 ft• Branch Diameter: 2-10in.• Depth: 1-55ft

Acropora prolifera

Reefrelief.org

•Common Name: Staghorn Coral•toward the tips of large branches- a spray of shorter branches fuses forming flattened ends•Surface covered with small, protruding coralites•Hybrid of A. cervicornis and A. palmata

•Colony size: 1-4 ft

•Branch Diameter: 0.75-1.25 in.

•Depth: 1-90ft

Dendrogyra cylindrus• Common Name: Pillar coral

• Colonies form heavy cylindrical spires that grow upward forming large mounds

• they are found on both flat and sloping bottoms

• Polyps often extend during the day

• Light tan to golden brown and chocolate brown

• Winding narrow valleys

• Colony Size: 4-10ft

• Pillar Diameter: 3-5 in

• Depth: 4-65 ft

Dichocoenia stokesii• Common Name: Elliptical Star

Coral• Small to medium sized, heavy,

hemispherical boulders• Form round heads, domes and

flattened plates• Corallites project from surface• Corallites often appear to be

pinched or squeezed showing an irregular elliptical or circular shape

• Septa: Alternately thick and thin septa, 20 per cm

• Colony size: 4-15 in• Depth: 12-225 ft

Notice the pinched or squeezed appearance of the corallites

Colpophyllia natans• Common Name: Boulder Brain Coral

• Form Large round domes, encrust forming large round plates

• Surface-brown ridges and green-white long –meandering valleys

• Thin, lengthwise groove along ridgetop sometimes appears as sutures

• Colony sometimes eroded at base,forming overhangs

• Septa: 8-12 toothed

• Colony size: 1.5-7ft

C. Natans spawning

Transect damage to C. natans

Diploria labyrinthiformis

Common Name: Grooved Brain Coral

• Narrow, deep valleys separated by broad ridges with wide, trough like grooves

• Valleys are convoluted and sometimes interconnested

• Tentacles are often visible during the day

• Flat, wide ridges-0.75 in • Septa: 14-17per cm

• Colony size: 1-4 ft• Depth: 3-135 ft

www.cybersea.com

Enature.com

Diploria strigosa• Common Name: Symmetrical

Brain Coral• Medium-sized hemispherical,

green, brown colonies• Rounded (not sharp) ridges; almost

as wide as valleys-to 3/16 in-without depressions

• Smooth contoured plates to hemispherical domes. Domes are the most common.

• Valleys are connected and usually convoluted except at colony’s edge

• 15-20 septa/cm

• Colony size: 6in-6ft• Depth: 3-130 ft

Diploria clivosa• Common Name: Knobby Brain Coral• Surfaces have irregular knobs but

occasionally form smooth low, flattened domes

• Ridges rise sharply• Usually encrusting and rarely

hemispherical• Sharp narrow ridges- 1.5mm(1/16 in)

wide• VALLEYS much wider-6mm• Alternating wide and narrow septa

• Septa: 35/ cm• Colony Size: 6in.-4 ft• Depth: 3-135 ft

Agaricia agaricites

• Common Name: Lettuce Coral• Thick encrusting• Hemispherical with ridges of

different heights• Discontinuous valleys in reticulated

patterns

• Colony size: 4 in-3 ft• Depth: 3-240 ft

Millepora alcicornis

•Common Name: Branching Fire Coral

•Often encrust and overgrow colonies, taking on their shape.

•Surface texture smooth with numerous pin-hole sized pores.

•Hairlike polyps

•Tan to mustard color

•BRANCH TIPS WHITE

•Note: Toxic; if brushed against bare skin, will produce a short lived sting.

Siderastrea siderea

•Common Name: Massive Starlet Coral

•Shallow cups and larger –1/4 in across

•Surface covered with small, generally symmetrical round, pitted corallites

•Corallites not dark at the center and uniform in color

•Septa: 50-60/ cm

•Colony Size:1-6 ft

•Depth: 2-220 ft

Stephanocoenia mechelinii

•Common Name: Blushing Star Coral

•Colonies form small smooth domes or boulders

•Circular upper rims are darker than the surrounding area

•May appeared “blush” from retraction of polyps when approached or touched

Colony Size: ½ -2 ½ ft

Depth: 10-130 ft

Solenastrea bournoni

•Common Name: Smooth Star Coral

•Smooth domes, occasionally slight bulges on surface

•Coral rims protrude, giving a blistered appearance

Colony Size:4-18 in

Depth: 5-60 ft

Montastraea franksii

• NO INFO

Montastraea annularis•Common Name: Boulder Star Coral

•Shallow corallite, circular,about 1/12 in diameter

•Grows in clusters of long, thick columns with enlarged, dome-like tops

•Surfaces are smooth with close, uniformly distributed and evenly extended corallites

•Septa: Radiating in 3 cycles-first two fusing in center with columella.

•Fine teeth on septa

•Colony Size: 1-10 ft

Montastraea faveolata

NO INFO

Montastraea cavernosa

• Common Name: Great Star Coral• Large boulders over 5ft dia.• Large cups, distintive to 3/8 in

blisterlike • Colonies usually form massive boulders

and domes, but occasionally develop into plates or sheets in deeper water

• Corallites ¼ -1/2 in

Septa: 48 per coralliteColony size: 2-8 ft

Mycetophyllia danaanaCommon Name: Lowridge Cactus Coral

•Form flat plates, mounds and hemispherical domes

•Ridges border the plates and run toward and occasionally across, the colonies’ center

•Ridges may intertwine and there are often independent ridges and knobs

•Valleys deep and narrow

•Colony size: 6-15 in

•Depth: 10-100 ft

Mycetophyllia aliciae•Common Name: Knobby Cactus Coral

•Colonies thin, flat

•Somewhat convex-generally circular plates. Occasionally mounds and domes.

•Large, raised star shaped corallites

•Ridges border the plates and may run towards the colonies center-especially in shallower waters of their depth range. Deeper water ridges become less pronounced.

•Ridges and corallites often in light colors

•Colony size: 6in-2 ft

•Depth: 3-160 ft

Mycetophyllia lamarckiana

•Common Name: Rigid Cactus Coral

•Colonies flat, pancake like, usually with scalloped edges and discontinuous radiating ridges (wheel spokes)

•Many growth centers surrounded by radiating septa

•Septa: Many extending vertically from the surface

•8-10 septa /cm each with 7-9 teethlarger teeth pointing obliquely upward

•Colony size: 6-12 in

•Depth: 10-190 ft

Mycetophyllia ferox

NO INFO

Porites astreoides•Common Name: Mustard Hill Coral

•Colonies encrust in shallow surge

•Form rounded heads and domes in deeper water

•Surface lumpy and sulfur yellow color

•Corallites closely set which give colonies a porous appearance

•Colony size: 6in-2 ft

•Depth: 3-160 ft

Quizzes

Damage AwarenessAnchor Damage

Fin Damage

Touch Damage

Transect damage

Montastraea

Montastraea faveolata

Montastraea franksii

Montastraea faveolata

Montastraea annularis

Montastraea franksii

Siderastrea siderea

Acropora cervicornis

Millepora alcicornis

White tipped Branches

Smaller size-golf ball (2 in), less pronounced protrusion of corallites

Cups have a wide separation

Too small to count in survey

Toothless septa project from the surface, larger size (<1ft)

Dichocoenia stokesii Favia fragum

D. strigosa C. Natans

Notice the smooth, connected lines,

rounded,steep ridges

D. labyrinthiformis

Notice the rougher ridgetops, thin noticeable line halfway down the

ridge where slopes angles reduces and slants to form the valleys

Valleys much narrower

Ridges flatter

A depression run the length of each hill

Sqiggles

Red “Mouths”

M. Ferox

M. danaana

M. danaana

M. aliciae

D. clivosa

D. strigosa

Flattened ridges almost as wide as valleys

Knobby appearance when large

Larger valleys and narrow ridges

Larger colony 1-6 ft

Cups rounder/wider

Corallites not sloped as steeply

Septa less pronounced

Smaller, golf ball size (4-12 in), more encrusting

Deep pitted corallites

Siderastrea siderea Siderastrea radians

Siderastrea radians

Siderastrea siderea

References

Humann, P. 1993. Reef Coral Identification. Jacksonville, Florida. 252 pp.

Kaplan, E.H.1982. Coral Reefs Caribbean and Florida. Peterson FieldGuides.Houghton Mifflin Company, New York. 271 pp.

Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI), 2003. 2002 Coral Features.[Internet] >http://www.floridamarine.org<[07/03]

Reef Relief, 2003. Reef Relief Environmental Center. [Internet]>http://www.reefrelief.org/< [07/03]