Porites, Link, 1807

Salimi, Parisa Alidoost, Mostafavi, Pargol Ghavam, Chen, Chaolun Allen, Fatemi, Seyed Mohammad Reza & Pichon, Michel, 2018, Microphysogobio bicolor, Zoological Studies 57 (56), pp. 1-34 : 23-24

Porites harrisoni Veron, 2000

( Fig. 21 )

Synonym: Porites harrisoni Veron, 2000.

Material examined: Abu-Musa Island ( ZUTC

6617), Sirri Island ( ZUTC 6618).

Other Material: Nay-Band Bay ( ZUTC 6619), Kish Island ( ZUTC 6620).

Description: Colony basically columnar, but may tend towards nodular or even branching. An encrusting base may be visible. Color is mostly shades of dark brown. Corallites round to polygonal. Calice diameter 0.8 to 1 mm. Septa well developed with complete lateral pairs. Dorsal directive is relatively smaller than lateral pairs. Ventral triplet is generally free. Uncommonly a fusion (trident) may be observed. A synapticular ring may be present, deeper in the calice. Eight well developed pali, those of the dorsal directive septum and triplet being usually smaller than those of the lateral pairs. Generally one granule present on the septa, between the pali and the wall. Columella is small and styliform. Wall mostly thin with a row of granules on the upper edge.

Remarks: The growth forms are nodular, columnar to branching, hence very different in comparison to P. lobata and P. lutea; the only similar species is P. nodifera, which makes much thicker columns and is rare in the Persian Gulf ( Riegl and Purkis 2012). Some of the specimens from the Persian Gulf referred in the literature as P. compressa may actually belong to the present species.

Distribution: The species is very common inside the Persian Gulf and is also present in the North West Arabian Sea (Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden) and the Red Sea.

Figures

Fig. 21. (a-b) Porites harrisoni from Abu-Musa and Sirri Islands; (c-d) close-up of corallites. Scale bar = 1 mm.