Maintenance of Living Space by Sweeper Tentacles of Montastrea cavernosa, a Caribbean Reef Coral
Richardson CA, Dustan P, Lang JC. 1979. Maintenance of Living Space by Sweeper Tentacles of Montastrea cavernosa, a Caribbean Reef Coral. Marine Biology. 55:181-186
The reef-building coral Hontastrea cavernosa Linnaeus possesses sweeper tentacles which have enlarged nernatocyst batteries. Sweeper tentacles appear to be used in defense of the coral's living space and may successfully deter mesenterial filament attacks from the more aggressive coral M. annularis. M. cavernosa therefore possesses a specialized defensive strategy that has not been taken into account by present models describing spatial competition in coral reef ecosystems.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Richardson, C.; Dustan, P.; Lang, J.
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- Linnaeus, M. annularis, Nematocyst Batteries, Spatial Competition, Specialized Defense