Pocillopora meandrina Coral
Pocillopora meandrina Coral
Pocillopora meandrina
Quick Facts
Pocillopora meandrina coral. American Samoa. Photo courtesy of Dr. Douglas Fenner
Pocillopora meandrina coral. American Samoa. Photo courtesy of Dr. Douglas Fenner
About the Species
Pocillopora meandrina (sometimes called cauliflower coral) is found in coral communities at depths of 1 to 27 meters, commonly on shallow reefs exposed to strong wave action. It is found on most coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific and eastern Pacific, with a range extending from the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean to the west coast of Central America in the eastern Pacific. The species is found in all U.S. Pacific Islands jurisdictions.
Protected Status
CITES Appendix II
- Throughout Its Range
Appearance
Colonies of Pocillopora meandrina are small upright bushes, with branches radiating from the initial point of growth. Branches are flattened and covered by bumps called verrucae. Colonies are usually cream colored, but can also be green or pink.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Cnidaria | Class | Anthozoa | Order | Scleractinia | Family | Pocilloporidae | Genus | Pocillopora | Species | meandrina |
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Featured News
Coral fragments hang from a nursery tree in the Johnston Applied Marine Sciences' nursery in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Credit: Victoria Barker/NOAA
Shallow water provides habitat for branching corals (Acropora spp), as seen here on a reef flat in Guam. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jonathan Brown
A scientist carefully hovers above the reef off of Kailua-Kona to take photographs while swimming along a transect line. He took more than 1,000 photos of this single transect that will be stitched together to form a 3D model of this reef. It will be interesting to see how this reef with high coral cover has changed over time! Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Dani Escontrella
The NOAA Ship Rainier operating in the Mariana Islands. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.