species: Dipsastraea pallida in Lizard Island area: all known taxa (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Dipsastraea pallida


©Andy Lewis: A colony of Dipsastraea pallida at Lizard Island

©Andy Lewis: Macro image of Dipsastraea pallida showing the typical form of the corallites

©Anne Hoggett: Dipsastraea pallida at North Direction Island.
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Family Merulinidae
Genus Dipsastraea
Species Dipsastraea pallida
Status least concern

Colours

                   

Distinguishing features

A species that forms massive colonies up to 1m diameter. Corallites are plocoid and large, with dark oral disks, while colony colour is usually pale cream or yellow.

Size

  • Size data has not been obtained.

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Distribution and habitat preferences

Reef fronts, shallow reef flats.

Can be found in most habitats around Lizard Island, and is the dominant favid in many reef front locations.

Behaviour

Dipsastraea pallida is a hermaphroditic broadcast spawner. Larvae are released without symbiotic zooxanthellae, but acquire these from seawater at about the 6th day after spawning. Larval duration is generally short, with 50% larval mortality after 19 days in tank experiments, however some larvae survived to 190 days, indicating the possibility of long distance dispersal in this species.

Web resources

References

  • Babcock, R.C., G.D. Bull, P.L. Harrison, A.J. Heyward, J.K. Oliver, C.C. Wallace and B.L. Willis (1986). Synchronous spawnings of 105 scleractinian coral species on the Great Barrier Reef, Marine Biology, 90: 379-394. LIRS catalog number 300.
  • Baird, A.H., J.R. Guest and B.L. Willis (2009). Systematic and biogeographical patterns in the reproductive biology of scleractinian corals, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 40: 551-571.
  • Baird, A.H. and P.A. Marshall (2000). Bleaching of corals on the Great Barrier Reef: differential susceptibilities among taxa, Coral Reefs, 19: 155-163.
  • View all references