Elegance Coral

Elegance Coral Facts

• The descriptive term Elegance Coral perfectly serves as one of the common names for this particularly beautiful species of Cnidaria. It also goes by several other common names, though. These names include the ridge coral and the wonder coral.
• Its cumbersome scientific name, meanwhile, consists of the hard to pronounce Catalaphyllia jardinei. It also holds a secret. This quite remarkable creature further represents, at least for the moment, the only known member of its entire genus.
• The first official scientific recognition of this gorgeous animal occurred in 1893. At that time, this occurred as a result of the work of the respected English biologist, William Saville-Kent, although he gave it a different name in the beginning.
• Unfortunately, due to its great beauty and distinctiveness, it’s now popular in reef tanks. As a result, its population numbers in the wild have plummeted. Due to this, the IUCN currently lists it as Vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species.
• The lovely Elegance Coral also faces even further threats to its existence. Habit loss now poses a very real threat to its surviving wild populations. The ongoing effects of climate change most likely poses its greatest threat in the wild, though.

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Elegance Coral Physical Description

The magnificent Elegance Coral truly earns its name. While it’s certainly a beautiful species, it also impresses those who know of it in another way, as well. That’s due to the fact that, along with being quite lovely, it’s also among the largest of all know forms of coral.

More precisely, mature adults of this species attain an average length of roughly 12 in (30 cm). The same individuals further reach an average height of approximately 8 in 20 cm). The general outline remains highly irregular in shape, though, due to its construction.

The gorgeous Elegance Coral possess a branching coralite skeleton displaying a brilliant color. This part of the animal generally shows a light green shade. The many tendril surrounding its central disk, however, most commonly show a bright pink in color.

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Cnidaria
• Class: Anthozoa
• Order: Scleractinia
• Family: Euphylliidae
• Genus: Catalaphyllia
• Species: C. jardinei

Elegance Coral Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

Even though its numbers appear to be diminishing, the Elegance Coral nevertheless still inhabits a relatively large section of the globe. In point of fact, it appears in the western and central Pacific Ocean, along with a part of the Indian Ocean, as well.

More precisely, that range extends as far north as the island country of Japan. To the south, however, it appears in scattered colonies as far away as Australia. Unfortunately, though, it now mainly appears in only widely scattered small concentrations in the range.

Wherever it still makes its home, though, it displays a strong preference for its choice of habitat. The animal lives almost entirely on areas of reefs. Even there, though, it typically prefers to dwell on the central portion of the reef, for reasons that remain unknown.

Individuals also sometimes choose to live on the sandy bottom, but rarely, if ever, on rocks. The amazing Elegance Coral further prefers for the regions its inhabits to have strongly flowing, sometimes even agitated, currents, again for undetermined reasons.

Much like many of its relatives, it can reproduce either sexually or asexually. The latter it manages via the creation of new branches, that later drop off, and form new colonies. Although mainly photosynthetic, it also consumes small quantities food, often detritus.

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