BIO 475 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Condylactis Gigantea, Palythoa, Halimeda
Common Reef Benthos of Bermuda
● Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA)
○ Regional health assessment standards
○ International database
○ Widely accessible
○ Develop a practical sale for reef comparison
Stony corals
● Colpophyllia natans CNAT (Similar to pseudodiploria strigosa)
○ Only difference, ridges are a bit thicker
● Madracis Auretenra ( AT REEF SITE)
● Stephanocoenia michelinii
Soft Corals
● Gorgonia Ventalina
● Pseudopterogorgia spp. GORG
● Pseudoplexaura and spp. GORG
○ Thick branches
○ Difficult to distinguish between gorgonias, GORG used for all
● Plexaura spp.
○ Thinner branches
Inverts
● Palythoa caribaeorum PALY
○ zoanthid ; feels like leather
● Palythoa and Zoanthus spp. ZOAN
● Phylum Porifera SPO
● Tunicates TUN
○ May look like sponge
● Condylactis gigantea CGIG
○ Anemone
● Corallimorphs CMPH
○ Look like individual coral polyps but large
■ Ricordea florida, Discosoma spp.
Algae
● Calcareous Chlorophytes
○ Halimeda spp. HAL
■ Chains of bright green “leaves”
■ Calcified
● Fleshy Chlorophytes
○ Caulerpa spp CAUL
■ Looks like tiny small grapes
● Large Phaeophytes
○ Padina spp. PAD
○ Looks like a soft blade
○ Cup shaped
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