Tan lettuce-leaf coral
Agaricia agaricites
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Description:
This species has at least 5 different growth forms. All of these forms are fairly common under the proper conditions and may be correlated with light and wave conditions. In very shallow water the species forms small tubercles, at 10 m depth the species occurs leaf-shaped, with corallites on both sides (A. agaricites shallow form) and in deeper water the colony forms large vertical scales reaching a diameter of more than half a meter, with corallites on one side only.

Color:
Light brown to purple-brown.

Corallites:
Pattern of corallites distinctive, with up to 36 septa. Columella present, trabecular and discontinuous.

Habitat:
From very shallow water to at least 45 m.

Distribution:
Abundant to common Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Genus Agaricia
Species Agaricia agaricites

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Agaricia agaricites (Linnaeus, 1758)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Tan lettuce-leaf coral [English]
Lettuce coral [English]
Bladkoraal [Dutch]
Slakoraal [Dutch]
Corail-laitue [French]
Corail à feuilles [French]
Agarice laitue [French]
Salatblatt-Koralle [German]
Koral plachi boka orano [Papiamentu]

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.

Voss, G.L., 1976. Seashore life of Florida and the Carribbean. Banyan Books, Inc. Miami, Florida.

No distribution map was available at OBIS the last time we checked. Retry now.

You can continue searching for Agaricia agaricites on one of these Web sites:

Fauna Europaea (animals) | IOPI (plants) | NCBI (genetic)

Google | Yahoo | MSN | Wikipedia