Crispy Crust Coral

Merulina ampliata est une espèce de coraux appartenant à la famille des Merulinidae.

Merulina ampliata là một loài san hô trong họ Merulinidae. Loài này được Ellis and Solander mô tả khoa học năm 1786.

zooxanthellate

This has small colonies which commonly exceed 1 metre across and 0.5 metres tall; they are a mixture of foliaceous plates and contorted projections. These contortions resemble a mass of irregular branches in some colonies. Calices on the leafy parts of a corallum are rarely monocentric, but usually run in long meandroid series toward the edge of the leaf. Corallites on the twisted projections are commonly monocentric. Walls are low, rounded and very broad relative to the calice width. Merulina ampliata lives in mid to deep water depths on all reef slopes. It is usually pale yellow or brown, commonly tinted with pink. (Sheppard, 1998 ) Colonies are laminar and foliaceous or sub-arborescent with different growth forms characteristically occurring in the one colony. Valleys are short, straight and spread fan-wise, then divide. They radiate from the colony centre on flat surfaces but are highly contorted on branches. Flat surfaces often have concentric growth lines. Polyps are usually extended only at night. Colour: a variety of pale colours, usually pink or pale brown. Abundance: common. Occurs in a wide variety of reefal habitats but is most abundant in lagoons. (Veron, 1986 ) Radial, toothed ridges decorate the colonies which are variable in growth form ranging from fan-like plates to contorted, foliaceous branches within the same colony. Colour: varies from pale pink to light brown. Habitat: diverse. (Richmond, 1997)