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 : 25-26

Porites lutea Milne Edwards and Haime, 1851

( Fig. 23 )

Synonym: Porites conglomerata var. lutea Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 ; Porites lutea Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851; Porites arenosa var. lutea Gardiner 1898 ; Madrepora arenosa Esper, 1797; Porites tenuis Verrill, 1866; Porites haddoni Vaughan, 1918.

Material examined: Abu-Musa Island ( ZUTC 6624), Sirri Island ( ZUTC 6625).

Other Material: Nay-Band Bay ( ZUTC 6626).

Description: Color is light yellow to brown. Colony is submassive to massive. Corallite outline round to polygonal. Calice diameter 1.0- 1.3 mm. Septa well developed and lateral pairs are complete and fusing at the end. Dorsal directive is much smaller than other septa, ventral triplet with characteristic trident formation. One inner synapticular ring present, five pali developed, one at the end of each lateral pair and one on the ventral directive. Radii joining the pali to the columella may be present particularly between the ventral directive and the columella. Generally one granule present between the pali and the wall. Columella present but often small styliform. Wall mostly thin with a row of spicules on the upper edge.

Remarks: This species differs from P. harrisoni and P. lobata in having a ventral triplet with a conspicuous trident formation. The collected specimens have different morphotypes ( Fig. 23 ab); but septal pattern (as main trait) was constant in collected specimens ( Fig. 23 c-d).

Distribution: Common in the Persian Gulf and widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific.

Figures

Fig. 23. (a-b) Different colonies of Porites lutea from Abu-Musa and Sirri Islands; (c) close-up of corallites and septa arrangements; (d) ventral triplet with trident fusion. Scale bar = 1 mm. © 2018 Academia Sinica, Taiwan