Cauliflower Coral

zooxanthellate

This species is distinguished from Pocillopora damicornis by having broader, club shaped or more flattened branches. It has true verrucae which are evenly sized and spaced. Pocillopora verrucosa occurs between the surface to 40 m deep. On fore reef slopes of moderate but not extreme exposure, it is extremely common, and helps to define clear coral communities in many sites. It is less tolerant of sedimented conditions than is P. damicornis so is much less abundant in lagoonal areas (Sheppard, 1998). Colonies are composed of uniform upright branches clearly distinct from the verrucae, but the latter are irregular in size. They have permanently coloured red-brown stalks. Colour: Usually cream, pink or blue. Abundance: Common. Occurs in most shallow-water environments from fringing reefs to exposed reef fronts (Veron, 1986). Colonies usually form hemispheres and grow in isolation. The stout branches (1-2 cm thick) radiate from a central holdfast and tend to be clubbed at their tips. Large verrucae up to 6 mm high, corallites 1 mm across. Colour: varies from pale lime-green or pink to dark brown or bluish-brown. Habitat: shallow reef areas (Richmond, 1997); rocks (Kalk, 1959). Also distributed in Australia (Kalk, 1958). Tropical Indo-Pacific in Kalk (1958).

A finer species than P. verrucosa, in which the verrucae often are as big as the branches and the corallites 0.8-1 mm across. Colour: varies from pink to green, brown or pale straw. Habitat: reef flats and shallow water substrates (Richmond, 1997).