genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of colonial
stony coral
Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a mo ...
in the family Oculinidae. These corals are mostly found in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...
and
Bermuda
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Family Oculinidae: ''Oculina'' Horizon. Retrieved 2011-12-15. but some species occur in the eastern Pacific Ocean. They occur at depths down to 1000 metres.
Description
The colonies of ''Oculina'' have a straggly branching structure and are mostly pale yellow. The branches are slim, not exceeding in diameter. The corallites which house the polyps are widely separated. Their walls are composed of fragile, solid-walled tubes. Each corallite has 12 primary
septa
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five c ...
with fine teeth which partially project from the corallite wall and which are larger than the intermediate septa. Some species contain symbiotic microalgae called
zooxanthella
Zooxanthellae is a colloquial term for single-celled dinoflagellates that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including demosponges, corals, jellyfish, and nudibranchs. Most known zooxanthellae are in the genus '' Sym ...
e.
Species
The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species:
* '' Oculina arbuscula'' Agassiz, 1864
* '' Oculina diffusa'' Lamarck, 1816 - zooxanthellate
* †'' Oculina halensis'' Duncan, 1864
* ''
Oculina patagonica
''Oculina'' is a genus of colonial stony coral in the family Oculinidae. These corals are mostly found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and BermudaOculina profunda'' Cairns, 1991
* '' Oculina robusta'' Pourtalès, 1871 Robust ivory tree coral - zooxanthellate
* ''
Oculina tenella
''Oculina'' is a genus of colonial stony coral in the family Oculinidae. These corals are mostly found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and BermudaOculina umbellata
''Oculina'' is a genus of colonial stony coral in the family Oculinidae. These corals are mostly found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and BermudaOculina valenciennesi
''Oculina'' is a genus of colonial stony coral in the family Oculinidae. These corals are mostly found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and BermudaOculina varicosa
''Oculina varicosa'', or the ivory bush coral, is a scleractinian deep-water coral primarily found at depths of 70-100m, and ranges from Bermuda and Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. ''Oculina varicosa'' flourishes at the ...
'' Lesueur, 1821 Ivory bush coral - zooxanthellate
* ''