Euphyllia cristata | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Hexacorallia |
Order: | Scleractinia |
Family: | Euphylliidae |
Genus: | Euphyllia |
Species: | E. cristata
|
Binomial name | |
Euphyllia cristata Chevalier, 1971
|
Euphyllia cristata is commonly called Grape coral. E. cristata is a kind of stony or hard coral in the family Euphylliidae; it also belongs to the genus Euphyllia in the order of Scleractinia. [2] E. cristata has a wide range of distribution throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific area with a large presence in Indonesia. [3] However, despite this large range of distribution, E. cristata has a slightly lower abundance compared to other species, making them a little more uncommon to find. [2] [4] They are typically found in shallow waters from 1–35 meters deep. [5] [2]
Euphyllia cristata was first documented by Chevalier in 1971. [2] [3] E. cristata is a Cnidaria of the class Anthozoa and of the order of Scleractinia. Scleractinia are hard corals. E. cristata live in small sized phaceloid colonies, which is a particular type of spatial formation and organisation, where corallites are elongate, distinctive tube-like, and between 20 and 40 millimetres (1.6 in) diameter. [6]
E. cristata has a wide range of distribution in the Indo-Western Pacific. [7] Their range of distribution also includes the Coral Triangle and the Great Barrier Reef. [3] [2] [8] Even though E. cristata’s distribution is diverse, it is absent from the Red Sea. [2] E. cristata is found on hard substrates. [7] In addition, they are found in a depth of 1–35 meters below the surface. [7] [2]
The International Union for Conservation Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classified the Red List status of the E. cristata as vulnerable in 2008. [2] In addition, many of the other Euphilids have been classified as threatened by the IUCN. [2] [5] There are many threats to the populations of E. cristata. As a result of E. cristata being a colorful stony coral with big polyps, it has been sought after for jewelry. [9] [10] [5] [2] E. cristata is also faced with having to adapt to changes in mean tide levels, changes in wave action, increases in water temperature, ocean acidification, fisheries, exposure to pollution, and erosion. [2] [4] [11] [7] [10] [9] [5] These things increase the frequencies of bleaching and increase the susceptibility of the coral to disease. [2]