Finger coral
Montipora digitata
Branching colonies with smooth surfaces due to corallites being small and immersed. Colonies usually pale brown but occassionally yellow, pink or blue.
Morphology
Colonies are arborescent and branches often fuse. Branch tips can be club-like or tapering and rounded. The coenosteum is smooth.
Evolution
Species age estimated to be 3.496 mya
Behaviour
Zooxanthellate coral that often dominates in shallow soft sediment (sand or mud) habitat ~ amongst seagrass or in the upper intertidal zone that is too marginal for most corals to survive.
Method of reproduction
Hermaphroditic spawner
Habitat
Marine
Soft and hard sediments to 5m depth.
Distribution
Indo-Pacific
Life Cycle
The zygote develops into a planktonic planula larva. Metamorphosis begins with early morphogenesis of tentacles, septa and pharynx before larval settlement on the aboral end.
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Anthozoa |
| Subclass: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Acroporidae |
| Genus: | Montipora |
| Species: | digitata |
| Name Published Year: | 1846 |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name Authorship: | Dana |
| Commercial Impact: | Collected for the aquarium industry |
| Conservation Assessment: | Least Concern |
Cite this page
Western Australian Museum Collections https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/names/Montipora-digitata
Accessed 28 Apr 2025
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