WHATSTHATFISH
Corals & anemones

Pillar Coral

Dendrogyra cylindrus

Also known as: Caribbean Pillar Coral, Digitate Coral

CRCritically EndangeredIUCN Red List, 2022
Adult
@amyka · Reef House, Honduras · January 20131 / 2
01

Overview

Found over shallow, flat, and gently sloping surfaces of the reef, often with extended polyps, both day and night.

Stony corals have hard stony skeletons, their polyps have six tentacles or are made up of multiples of six. These are usually nocturnal, however if the sky's are overcast, then many will feed during the day.
Generally the more robust corals life on exposed areas, while the smaller corals live in sheltered lagoons or deeper waters.
Stony corals are reef building corals and embedded in their flesh are thousands of minute single-celled marine plants called zooxanthellae which accounts for their colour.
These corals support a huge diversity of life, their main predator being the crown-of-thorns sea star.

02

How to identify

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Atlantic, Caribbean
  • Country only · 2
LIVES IN

Found over shallow, flat, and gently sloping surfaces of the reef, often with extended polyps, both day and night.

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Adult photos 2

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Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumCnidaria
    3. classHexacorallia
    4. orderScleractinia
    5. familyMeandrinidae
    6. genusDendrogyra
    7. speciesDendrogyra cylindrus (Ehrenberg, 1834)

    SourcesWoRMSWikipedia

    06

    More in the family

    Scleractinia