Coral Line by: Dora & Anthony
Coral Type: Branching
Coral species: Stylophora pistillata
Message: EVERY LITTLE LINE COUNTS
Note: For this coral line, we are surprised to see that the fragments have not grown after 3 months and interestingly are actually smaller than when they were first transplanted. On closer inspection it appears that your line has been predated on, possibly by the herbivorous parrotfish which is known to break down coral structures as it grazes algae from the reefs. Interestingly, all other lines of the same coral species (Stylophora pistillata) have shown a similar decline, whilst very few other species have. It may be that the brittle structure of Stylophora pistillata makes it more vulnerable. We will closely monitor this line to see how it progresses in the next few months and will post any observations we notice.
