- Pillar coral
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Pillar Coral Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cnidaria Class: Anthozoa Order: Scleractinia Suborder: Faviina Family: Meandrinidae Genus: Dendrogyra Species: D. cylindricus Binomial name Dendrogyra cylindricus
Ehrenberg, 1834Pillar corals (Dendrogyra cylindricus) are a type of hard coral which live in the western Atlantic Ocean. They are one of the digitate corals which resemble fingers, or a cluster of cigars, growing up from the sea floor, but without any secondary branching.
Pillar corals can grow to be up to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall. They can grow on both flat and sloping sea floors at a depth of between 1 and 20 m (65 ft). They are one of the few types of hard coral whose polyps can commonly be seen feeding during the day.
Gallery
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A large colony at Marker 32 reef in the Florida Keys, June 2010
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A small colony at Marker 32 reef in the Florida Keys, June 2010
References
- "Dendrogyra cylindricus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=53428.
External links
Categories:- Cnidarian stubs
- Scleractinia
- Monotypic animal genera
- Animals described in 1834
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