''Ctenella'' is a monotypic genus of
stony coral in the
family Euphylliidae
Euphylliidae (Greek eu-, true; Greek phyllon, leaf) are known as a family of polyped stony corals under the order Scleractinia.
This family consists of multiple genera (more than one genus) and various species which are found among the ocean f ...
. It is represented by a single species, ''Ctenella chagius''. These corals are massive in size with meandering valleys between the
calyces which have solid, non-porous walls and fine, evenly spaced, solid
septae
In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate.
Examples
Human anatomy
* Interatri ...
.
Family Meandrinidae
Classification of Scleractinian (Stony) Corals. Retrieved 2012-11-10. They are found in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea.Chagos Archipelago
The Chagos Archipelago () or Chagos Islands (formerly the Bassas de Chagas, and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archi ...
.
Description
''Ctenella chagius'' is a massive, hemispherical, colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 a ...
coral with a fissured surface and brain-like appearance. The individual polyps that secrete the stony skeleton project from stony cups called corallite
A corallite is the skeletal cup, formed by an individual stony coral polyp, in which the polyp sits and into which it can retract. The cup is composed of aragonite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, and is secreted by the polyp. Corallit ...
s arranged in rows in long meandering valleys. The width between the solid ridges on either side is about
with the valleys being about deep. The fine septa that radiate from the corallites are closely packed and evenly spaced, some continuing upwards and over the ridges.[Family Meandrinidae]
Classification of Scleractinian (Stony) Corals. Retrieved 2012-11-20. This coral is a pale brown colour and can grow to a metre (yard) in diameter. It is a zooxanthellate coral and has symbiotic
Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...
unicellular dinoflagellate
The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος ''dinos'' "whirling" and Latin ''flagellum'' "whip, scourge") are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered algae. Dinoflagellates are ...
algae living within its tissues.
Distribution
''Ctenella chagius'' is found around the Chagos Islands. It is found in lagoons and on reef slopes at depths of up to .
Status
''Ctenella chagius'' is listed as being " Endangered" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
. The size of its population is unknown but the reefs on which it lives are being degraded at a faster rate than it is likely to be able to establish new colonies. It is very susceptible to coral bleaching and coral diseases, both of which are on the increase as sea temperatures rise. There are also threats to the coral from human activities but the Chagos Islands are now part of the Chagos Marine Protected Area which should provide a measure of protection for this coral.
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q5191613, from2=Q3330213
Scleractinia genera
Euphylliidae
Animals described in 1928
Monotypic cnidarian genera