Blue coral

Blue coral

Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Subclass:	Octocorallia
Order:	Helioporacea
Family:	Helioporidae
Genus:	Heliopora
Species:	H. coerulea
Binomial name
*Heliopora coerulea* Pallas, 1766

Blue coral (Heliopora coerulea) is a species of colonial coral and the only species in the family Helioporidae and the only Octocoral known to produce a massive skeleton.^[2] This skeleton is formed of aragonite, similar to that of scleractinia. Individual polyps live in tubes within the skeleton and are connected by a thin layer of tissue over the outside of the skeleton. It was described by Pallas in 1766.

Description

The blue coral is the only extant Octocoral with a massive skeleton,^[2] which is composed of fibrocrystalline aragonite (calcium carbonate). It is a hermatypic zooxanthellaete species with either blue or grey-grey polyps located within its skeleton, which each contain eight tentacles. Its colonies are either columnar, plates or branched.^[3]^[4] It is a tolerant species and is used in marine aquariums.

Iron salts give the skeleton of Heliopora coerulea its unique color, which allows for easy recognition in fossil outcrops.^[5] As such, it is fairly abundant within paleontology, with fossils indicating the species has remained unchanged since the Cretaceous.^[5]

Distribution

Despite being common in some areas and having a large range, the blue coral has been given the conservation status of a vulnerable species by the IUCN. Its population is unknown but it is believed to be decreasing in line with the global destruction of coral reefs; it is threatened by aquarium harversting, bleaching, habitat destruction, the acidification of oceans, and climate change.^[1] It is found in the eastern and western Indian ocean, and the eastern central, western central, northwestern, and southwestern Pacific Ocean; its range includes the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. Its largest colony is believed to be located off Ishigaki Island in the Yaeyama Islands, southwestern Japan. It is found in reefs with depths below 2 metres (6 ft 7 in), or reefs exposed to waves, flats, intertidal regions, and sometimes in marginal habitats.^[1] The blue coral is listed under CITES Appendixes I and II.^[1]

Taxonomy

Heliopora coerulea was described by Pallas in 1766.^[6]

References

1 2 3 4 Obura, D.; Fenner, D.; Hoeksema, B.; Devantier, L. & Sheppard, C. (2008). "Heliopora coerulea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
1 2 Barnes, Robert D. (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. p. 169. ISBN 0-03-056747-5.
↑ "Heliopora coerulea". Arkive.org. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
↑ Leon P. Zann; Lesley Bolton (September 1985). "The distribution, abundance and ecology of the blue coral Heliopora coerulea (Pallas) in the Pacific". 4 (2). Coral Reefs: 125–134. doi:10.1007/BF00300871.
1 2 Gornitz, V (2009). Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments. Springer. pp. 202–203. ISBN 978-1402045516.
↑ "Heliopora coerulea". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 17 August 2015.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to: Heliopora coerulea

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heliopora coerulea.

"Heliopora coerulea". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.

Corals and coral reefs

Stony corals	Scleractinia Blue coral Brain coral Elkhorn coral Hermatypic coral Chalice coral Pillar coral Staghorn coral Table coral

Soft corals	Alcyonacea Black coral Bamboo coral Organ pipe coral Sea fans Sea pens

Coral reefs	Atoll reef Cay Fringing reef Microatoll Coral reef fish Census of Coral Reefs The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs Catlin Seaview Survey

Coral regions	List of reefs Deep-water coral African coral reefs Amazon Reef Andros, Bahamas Belize Barrier Reef Coral Sea Islands Coral Triangle Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Great Barrier Reef Maldives Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System New Caledonia Barrier Reef Pulley Ridge Raja Ampat Islands Red Sea Southeast Asian coral reefs

Coral diseases	Coral bleaching Black band disease Skeletal eroding band White band disease White pox disease

Protection	Coral Reef Alliance Coral reef protection Green Fins International Society for Reef Studies Project AWARE Reef Check Reef Ball

Other	Artificial reef Aquaculture of coral Coral dermatitis Precious coral Coral rag Coral reef organizations Coral sand Coralline alga Environmental issues with coral reefs Fire coral Reef resilience Rugosa (extinct) Symbiodinium Tabulata

Taxon identifiers	EoL: 1006937 GBIF: 2264328 ITIS: 52077 IUCN: 133193 NCBI: 86515 WoRMS: 210725 Species+: 3140

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