Ten-ray star coral
Madracis decactis
(Lyman, 1859)

Description:
Shallow water colonies up to 15 cm in diameter with short clubbed branches of 2-3 cm in diameter. In deeper water, the species forms encrusting colonies, sometimes with hillocks or lobes.

Color:
Purple-brown.

Corallites:
Corallites separated, 1.3-1.9 mm in diameter, usually with ten septa per corallite. Columella massive, styliform.

Habitat:
Generally present above 20 m, but more common below 30 m.

Remarks:
Some other species of the genus occur on Curacao: Madracis formosa , Madracis mirabilis , Madracis pharensis , Madracis senaria and a recent described species, Madracis carmabi . Recent investigations suggest that M. senaria and M. mirablis form monophyletic groups, while M. formosa , M. pharensis and M. decactis form a species-complex. It seems that hybridization occurs between the M. pharensis / M. decactis -complex and M. formosa and polyphenism within the M. pharensis / M. decactis -complex.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Genus Madracis
Species Madracis decactis

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Madracis decactis (Lyman, 1859)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Ten-ray star coral [English]
Green cactus coral [English]
Encrusting madracis [English]
Tienstralig vingerkoraal [Dutch]
Knobbelkoraal [Dutch]
Corail digité à dix septes [French]

Humann, P., 1993. Reef Coral Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas, (ed. N. Deloach). New World Publications, Inc., Paramount Miller Graphics, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida.

Roos, P.J., 1964. The distribution of reef corals in Curacao. Stud. Fauna Curacao, 20: 1-51.

Roos, P.J., 1971. The shallow-water stony corals of the Netherlands Antilles. Studies on the fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean islands, 130.

Vermeij, M.J.A., 2002. Evolutionary Ecology of the Coral Genus Madracis on Caribbean Reefs. Ph-D thesis, UvA.

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