Interspecific Aggression by Scleractinian Corals 1. The Rediscovery of Scolymia Cubensis (Milne Edwards & Haime)
Lang J. 1971. Interspecific Aggression by Scleractinian Corals 1. The Rediscovery of Scolymia Cubensis (Milne Edwards & Haime). Bulletin of Marine Science. 21(4):952-959
The solitary scleractinian coral, Scolymia cubensis, was recently considered to be an "ecovariant" of S. lacera. As the latter invariably kills the tissues of S. lacera by an extracoelenteric feeding response, while control individuals of S. lacera never damage each other, S. cubensis is again separated as a distinct species. S. lacera is one of the two most "aggressive" corals in Jamaica, while S. cubensis ranks ninth in the "aggression hierarchy." Small aggressors such as the Scolymias damage subordinate species which compete for their space and light.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Lang, Judith
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- Coralla, Ecovariant, Reciprocal Cannibalism, S. lacera, Species Diversity