Goniastrea retiformis
species of cnidarian
Goniastrea retiformis is a species of stony corals in the family Merulinidae. It is native to shallow water in the Indo-Pacific region.
Description
This species forms massive colonies, domed, flat or columnar, reaching a maximum diameter of 50 centimetres (20 in) and a height of 1 metre (3 ft 3 in). It has small deep calices, usually with a diameter of 3–4 millimetres (0.12–0.16 in). Corallites are recessed, four to six sided. The basic color of these corals is cream or pale brown, but it may also be brown, pink or green.
Distribution and habitat
This quite common species can be found in the Indo-West Pacific, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Australian coast. It occurs on reef slopes, especially in shallow waters.
Biology
Goniastrea retiformis is a zooxanthellate species of coral. It obtains most of its nutritional needs from the symbiotic dinoflagellates that live inside its soft tissues.
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This entry incorporates text from “Goniastrea retiformis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.