''Porites furcata'', commonly known as hump coral, thin finger coral or branched finger coral, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of stony coral in the genus ''

Porites ''Porites'' is a genus of stony coral; they are small polyp stony (SPS) corals. They are characterised by a finger-like morphology. Members of this genus have widely spaced calices, a well-developed wall reticulum and are bilaterally symmetric ...

''. It is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean.

Description

''Porites furcata'' is a colonial coral forming clumps of short, slender lobes with rounded tips, often densely packed together. It sometimes forms extensive patches several square metres (yards) in area. The colour of this coral is yellow or pale brown and the lobes grow to a diameter of . The interior parts of the coral often have a purplish tinge and are dead, perhaps killed off by the increased shading and lack of water circulation caused by newer growth above. This species is intermediate in appearance between ''

Porites porites ''Porites porites'', commonly known as hump coral or finger coral, is a species of stony coral in the genus ''Porites''. It is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean and also along the coast of West Africa. Description ''Porites p ...

'' which has branches wide and ''

Porites divaricata ''Porites'' is a genus of stony coral; they are small polyp stony (SPS) corals. They are characterised by a finger-like morphology. Members of this genus have widely spaced calices, a well-developed wall reticulum and are bilaterally symmetr ...

'', the branches of which are under wide.

Distribution and habitat

''Porites furcata'' is found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas and southern Florida from low water mark down to depths of about . It has not been found in Bermuda. Its preferred habitat is back reefs but it also occurs in other parts of the reef. In areas where this species is common, the dead, basal parts of the coral are responsible for most of the coral rubble on the reef. Grooves can sometimes be seen cutting across the colonies of this species. These are caused by heavy detached chunks of massive coral being moved across the reef during severe storms. Fossils of this species have been found in Florida dating back to the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

Ecology

''Porites furcata'' is a zooxanthellate coral, the tissues containing unicellular green algae living symbiotically within the cells. These are

photosynthetic Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in c ...

and use the

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

and waste products of the coral while at the same time supplying oxygen and organic compounds to their host. The polyps are often extended during the day. The niches and crevices in this coral are home to a range of invertebrates and other organisms including brittle stars,

sea urchin Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) of ...

polychaete worms Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are m ...

chiton Chitons () are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora (), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known as gumboots or sea cradles or coat-of-mail s ...

s and

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

Status

''Porites furcata'' is listed as being of "

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

" 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 ...

. This is because it is a common species throughout its range and the population seems stable. It is a fairly adaptable species being found in a range of habitats but it is particularly susceptible to

bleaching Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...

. Its chief threat is the loss of reef habitat through mechanical damage, violent storms, a rise in sea temperatures,

ocean acidification Ocean acidification is the reduction in the pH value of the Earth’s ocean. Between 1751 and 2021, the average pH value of the ocean surface has decreased from approximately 8.25 to 8.14. The root cause of ocean acidification is carbon dioxid ...

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

, increased sedimentation and tourism.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3319026 Poritidae Cnidarians of the Atlantic Ocean Cnidarians of the Caribbean Sea Marine fauna of North America Marine fauna of South America Corals described in 1816 Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck