Hexacorallia | 
Scleractinia | 
Merulinidae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Reef-associated; depth range 0 - 10 m (Ref. 98471).  Tropical			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Indian Ocean.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm			
			
			
							
				
				
					
						Colony: small, massive, rounded. Corallites: deeply excavated, with angular walls. Septa: straight, widely spaced, often in two alternating orders; very prominent teeth, with ragged margins. Weakly developed paliform lobes. Small and compact columellae. Color: off-white walls, dark centers (Ref. 848).					
				
				
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Found in a wide range of reef environments (Ref. 848).  Typical on reef tops and outer reef flats.  Also occurs in lagoons, on the back and foreslope of reefs (Ref. 98471).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
					Members of the class Anthozoa are either gonochoric or hermaphroditic.  Mature gametes are shed into the coelenteron and spawned through the mouth.  Life cycle:  The zygote develops into a planktonic planula larva.  Metamorphosis begins with early morphogenesis of tentacles, septa and pharynx before larval settlement on the aboral end.				
			
			
			
			
			
				Veron, J.E.N. 2000 Corals of the world. Volume 3. Australian Institute of Marine Science and CRR Qld. Pty. Ltd. Australia. 490 p. (Ref. 848)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
					  Harmless				
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
							
			
			
				 | FishSource | 			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
  Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
  Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae   PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  				 
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models