Montipora is a genus of Scleractinian corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of the genus Montipora may exhibit many different growth morphologies. With eighty five known species,[1] Montipora is the second most species rich coral genus after Acropora.[3]
Description
Growth morphologies for the genus Montipora include submassive, laminar, foliaceous, encrusting, and branching.[4][5] It is not uncommon for a single Montipora colony to display more than one growth morphology.[5] Healthy Montipora corals can be a variety of colors, including orange, brown, pink, green, blue, purple, yellow, grey, or tan.[5] Although they are typically uniform in color, some species, such as Montipora spumosa or Montipora verrucosa, may display a mottled appearance.[5]
Montipora corals have the smallest corallites of any coral family.[5] Columellae are not present.[5] Coenosteum and corallite walls are porous, which can result in elaborate structures.[5] The coenosteum of each Montipora species is different, making it useful for identification.[5] Polyps are typically only extended at night.[5]
Montipora corals are commonly mistaken for members of the genus Porites based on their visual similarities, however, Porites can be distinguished from Montipora by examining the structure of the corallites.[5]
Distribution
Montipora corals are common on reefs and lagoons of the Red Sea, the western Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean, but are entirely absent in the Atlantic Ocean.[4]
Ecology
Montipora corals are hermaphroditic broadcast spawners.[6] Spawning typically happens in spring.[6] The eggs of Montipora corals already contain zooxanthellae, so none is obtained from the environment.[6][7] This process is known as direct or vertical transmission.[3]
Montipora corals are preyed upon by corallivorous fish, such as butterflyfish.[8] Montipora corals are known to host endo- and ectoparasites such as Allopodion mirum and Xarifia extensa.[1] A currently undescribed species of nudibranch in the genus Phestilla has also been reported in the scientific and aquarium hobbyist literature to feed on the genus.[9]
Montipora corals are susceptible to the same stresses as other Scleractinian corals, such as anthropogenic pollution, sediment, algal growth, and other competitive organisms.[6]
Evolutionary history
A 2007 study found that the genus Montipora formed a strongly supported clade with Anacropora, making it the genus with the closest genetic relationship to Montipora.[10] It is thought that Anacropora evolved from Montipora relatively recently.[7]
Gallery
Montipora aequituberculata colonies near Ningaloo Reef
Polyps of Montipora danae
Polyps of Montipora hispida
Polyps of Montipora monasteriata
Species
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Montipora aequituberculata Bernard, 1897
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Montipora altasepta Nemenzo, 1967
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Montipora angulata Lamarck, 1816
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Montipora aspergillus Veron, DeVantier & Turak, 2000
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Montipora australiensis Bernard, 1897
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Montipora biformis Nemenzo, 1988
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Montipora cactus Bernard, 1897
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Montipora calcarea Bernard, 1897
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Montipora calculata Dana, 1846
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Montipora capitata Dana, 1846
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Montipora capricornis Veron, 1985
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Montipora cebuensis Nemenzo, 1976
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Montipora circumvallata Ehrenberg, 1834
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Montipora cocosensis Vaughan, 1918
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Montipora confusa Nemenzo, 1967
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Montipora conspicua Nemenzo, 1979
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Montipora contorta Nemenzo & Montecillo, 1981
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Montipora corbettensis Veron & Wallace, 1984
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Montipora crassituberculata Bernard, 1897
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Montipora cryptus Veron, 2000
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Montipora danae Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851
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Montipora delicatula Veron, 2000
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Montipora digitata Dana, 1846
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Montipora dilatata Studer, 1901
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Montipora echinata Veron, DeVantier & Turak, 2000
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Montipora edwardsi Bernard, 1897
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Montipora efflorescens Bernard, 1897
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Montipora effusa Dana, 1846
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Montipora ehrenbergi Verrill, 1872
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Montipora explanata Brüggemann, 1879
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Montipora flabellata Studer, 1901
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Montipora florida Nemenzo, 1967
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Montipora floweri Wells, 1954
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Montipora foliosa Pallas, 1766
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Montipora foveolata Dana, 1846
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Montipora friabilis Bernard, 1897
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Montipora gaimardi Bernard, 1897
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Montipora gracilis Klunzinger, 1879
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Montipora grisea Bernard, 1897
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Montipora hemispherica Veron, 2000
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Montipora hirsuta Nemenzo, 1967
- Montipora hispida Dana, 1846
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Montipora hodgsoni Veron, 2000
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Montipora hoffmeisteri Wells, 1954
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Montipora incrassata Dana, 1846
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Montipora informis Bernard, 1897
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Montipora kellyi Veron, 2000
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Montipora lobulata Bernard, 1897
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Montipora mactanensis Nemenzo, 1979
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Montipora malampaya Nemenzo, 1967
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Montipora maldivensis Pillai & Scheer, 1976
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Montipora manauliensis Pillai, 1967
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Montipora meandrina Ehrenberg, 1834
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Montipora millepora Crossland, 1952
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Montipora mollis Bernard, 1897
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Montipora monasteriata Forskåi, 1775
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Montipora niugini Veron, 2000
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Montipora nodosa Dana, 1846
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Montipora orientalis Nemenzo, 1967
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Montipora pachytuberculata Veron, DeVantier & Turak
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Montipora palawanensis Veron, 2000
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Montipora patula Verrill, 1870
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Montipora peltiformis Bernard, 1897
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Montipora porites Veron, 2000
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Montipora samarensis Nemenzo, 1967
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Montipora saudii Veron, DeVantier & Turak
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Montipora setosa Nemenzo, 1976
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Montipora sinuosa Pillai & Scheer, 1976
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Montipora spongiosa Ehrenberg, 1834
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Montipora spongodes Bernard, 1897
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Montipora spumosa Lamarck, 1816
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Montipora stellata Bernard, 1897
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Montipora stilosa
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Montipora suvadivae Pillai & Scheer, 1976
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Montipora taiwanensis Veron, 2000
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Montipora tortuosa Dana, 1846
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Montipora tuberculosa Lamarck, 1816
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Montipora turgescens Bernard, 1897
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Montipora turtlensis Veron & Wallace, 1984
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Montipora undata Bernard, 1897
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Montipora venosa Ehrenberg, 1834
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Montipora verrilli Vaughan, 1907
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Montipora verrucosa Lamarck, 1816
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Montipora verruculosa Veron, 2000
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Montipora vietnamensis Veron, 2000
References
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^ a b c d World Register of Marine Species link: Montipora Blainville, 1830 (+species list)
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^ "Montipora". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
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^ a b van Oppen, Madeleine J.H. (2004). "Mode of zooxanthella transmission does not affect zooxanthella diversity in acroporid corals". Marine Biology. 144: 1–7. doi:10.1007/s00227-003-1187-4. S2CID 86657478.
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^ a b Van Oppen, M.J.H; Koolmees, E.M.; J.E.N, Veron (2004). "Patterns of evolution in the scleractinian coral genus Montipora (Acrroporidae)". Marine Biology. 144: 9–18. doi:10.1007/s00227-003-1188-3. S2CID 85602339.
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^ a b c d e f g h i j Veron, J.E.N (1986). Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. London: Angus & Robertson Publishers. pp. 92–121.
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^ a b c d Richmond, Robert (1997). Reproduction and Recruitment in Corals. pp. 175–197.
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^ a b Fukami, Hironobu; Omari, Makoto; Hatta, Masayuki (2000). "Phylogenetic relationships in the coral family Acroporidae, reassessed by inference from mitochondrial genes". Zoological Science. 17 (5): 689–696. doi:10.2108/zsj.17.689. PMID 18517306.
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^ Berumen, Michael; Pratchett, Morgan S. (2006). "Recovery without resilience: persistent disturbance and long-term shifts in the structure of fish and coral communities at Tiahura reef, Moorea". Coral Reefs. 25 (4): 647–653. doi:10.1007/s00338-006-0145-2. S2CID 34270212.
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^ Fritts-Penniman, Allison Louise (2016). "Ecological Speciation and Cryptic Diversity of Coral-Associated Nudibranchs". UCLA. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
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^ Wallace, C.C; et al. (2007). "Recognition of separate genera within Acropora based on new morphological, reproductive, and genetic evidence from Acropora togianensis, and elevation of the subgenus Isopora Studer, 1878 to genus (Scleractinia: Astrocoeniidae; Acroporidae)". Coral Reefs. 26 (2): 231–239. doi:10.1007/s00338-007-0203-4. S2CID 25263905.