Spiny Flower Coral. 03. Branching corals: this type is most commonly associated with the most colorful small corals, and are made up of a tree-like structure with multiple branches and secondary branches. Millepora alcicornis. Mussa angulosa. See our Corals Information page to learn more about how to acquire many of the species of corals shown here. The Coral Health Chart uses four coral types to classify corals. Blade Fire Coral. ifish / Getty Images. Millepora complanata. Striatopora is a type of branching tabulate coral. Common in shallow reef areas, particularly those that are exposed to strong wave action, although it can occur to a depth of about 15m. Some of the more rare types of coral, such as blastomussa and montipora can usually be obtained when a box of corals is ordered, however, the quantity per order is limited. Pictures of two primary genera of the Acroporidae family that together makes up almost one-third of all reef-building corals. Size: Up to 30cm across. Rough Cactus Coral. Colour ranges from cream, pink or blue to greens. It is a hard, branching coral with blunt, slightly flattened ends. Mycetophyllia danaan. Mycetophyllia aliciae. When it comes to Coral Identification the sheer number of and different types of coral make it hard to come up with an extensive, all encompassing list. Knobby Cactus Coral. Smooth cauliflower coral. Box Fire Coral. Compact branching: where branches of a colony are close together. Great Star Coral. Knowing and being able to identify different types of marine life, fish and coral makes scuba diving all the more exciting and enjoyable. Individual calices are generally only a few mm across, but have well-developed walls, so that they stick out slightly from the corullum (the rest of the coral skeleton) somewhat like holes on a flute. Conduct surveys of coral community composition at sites and assess dominance of coral types known to be more resistant or tolerant to bleaching. Stylophora pistillata. Uniqueness: The Great Barrier Reef is not just the largest coral system in the world, it is the one thought to have the highest biodiversity.That is, more kinds plants and animals than any other ecosystem. Montastrea cavernosa. A single coral species can grow in a wide variety of shapes and sizes depending on the environmental conditions (light, currents, sedimentation, etc). Millepora squarrosa. Branching Fire Coral. SPONGES & CORALS 3(d) Structure, Classification and Function of Corals. Boulder refers to any massive or rounded corals, such as … Continua: where there is no clear discontinuity in morphology, genotype or distribution. Coral: for the specific purpose of Coral ID, the term coral is short for zooxanthellate scleractinian coral. Corallite: the skeleton of an individual polyp Identify dominant coral groups and rank their bleaching tolerance based on morphology (massive>encrusting>branching/tabular). 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