species: Turbinaria reniformis in Lizard Island area: all known taxa (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Turbinaria reniformis


©Andy Lewis: A colony of Turbinaria reniformis at Waton's Bay

©Lyle Vail: A large stand of Turbinaria reniformis in Watson's Bay, Lizard Island.

©Andy Lewis: Macro image of Turbinaria reniformis showing the polyps.
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Family Dendrophylliidae
Genus Turbinaria
Species Turbinaria reniformis
Status vulnerable

Colours

              

Distinguishing features

A species that forms conspicuous yellow-green colonies composed of unifacial, convoluted layers. Corallites are large, widely spaced and conical.

Size

  • Size data has not been obtained.

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Distribution and habitat preferences

Reef fronts, passes, sheltered back reef areas.

Can be found in most habitats around Lizard Island.

Behaviour

Colony morphology is substantially affected by location, with deeper colonies forming large convoluted plates, while shallow colonies are composed of tightly packed layers. This species is relatively tolerant to bleaching and not generally targeted by Crown of Thorns Starfish.

Web resources

References

  • 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.
  • Dinesen, Z.D. (1983). Shade-dwelling corals of the Great Barrier Reef, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 10: 173-185. LIRS catalog number 157.
  • Dornelas, M. (2006). Coral assemblages and neutral theory. PhD thesis, James Cook University. LIRS catalog number 1626.
  • View all references