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What are the twenty coral species commonly found in Hong Kong Marine Parks?
Classification of corals?
Description of twenty selected coral species commonly found within Hong Kong Marine Park Areas
Dipsastraea maritima (Nemenzo, 1971)
| Family: |
Merulinidae |
| Genera: |
Dipsastraea |
| Species: |
maritima |
| Common name: |
Moon Coral |
| Field characteristics: |
Colonies are massive, and usually small. Corallites are highly exert (raised up from the colony surface), which is a very distinctive feature of this species. Corallites are not closely packed, but usually circular. Colouration can vary from dark to light brown, with a mottled appearance; with distinctive darker brown corallite walls and greenish grey inter-connecting tissues. Polyps extend only at night. |
| Abundance: |
Common |
| Distribution : |
This coral is commonly recorded in the northeastern waters, records made for eastern waters as well. It can be observed in all three marine parks in the northeast. |
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| Dipsastraea maritima with highly exert corallites. |
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