Guide to the Coastal Resources of Guam:  Vol. 2
THE CORALS

Richard H . RANDALL                   Robert F. MYERS

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TITLE PAGE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS A CORAL?

General Features of the Animals

General Features of the Skeleton

Colony Form in Solitary Corals

Colony Form in Colonial Corals

WHAT IS A CORAL REEF?

PATTERNS OF REEF DEVELOPMENT

CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CORAL REEF RESOURCES

HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK

KEY TO THE CORALS OF GUAM

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX TO THE CORALS

KEY TO THE CORALS OF GUAM

KEY TO PRINCIPAL GROUPS

 

I. A single corallite with prominent radially disposed septa.
 
A. Not attached to the substrate.
.....Group One (p. 17)
B. Attached to the substrate.
.....Group Two (p. 18)
II. Colony consisting of few to many corallites lacking septa.
 
.....Group Three (p. 18)
III. Colony consisting of a few to many corallites with prominent radially
disposed septa.
 
A. Colony free, not attached to the substrate.
 
a)
Colony flattened, discoid, or elongate in outline with two distinct surfaces, one side bearing calices (sometimes this surface arched or convex) and the other side lacking calices (sometimes this surface concave) .....Group Four (p. 20)
b) Colony irregular in shape, consisting of pieces that have been broken off or dislodged from colonies fixed or anchored to the substrate .....(Go to B below)
B. Colony fixed, attached, or anchored to the substrate.
 
a) Corallite centers arranged around protuberant cones or short ridges (Colony hydnophoroid) .....Group Five (p. 20)
b) Parallel or subparallel corallites consisting of a single calice or series of calices enclosed by a common wall that are isolated from each other in the upper part of the corallum.  (Colony phaceloid or flabellate) .....Group Six (p. 20)
c) Round or oval corallites separated from each other by a zone of coenosteum (some corallites undergoing asexual division may be somewhat elongate or triangular in shape with two or three centers enclosed by a common wall) (Corallum plocoid) .....Group Seven (p. 21)
d) Walls of adjacent subrounded or polygonal corallites fused together, coenosteal zone absent (some corallites undergoing asexual division may have two or three calices enclosed by a common wall) (Colony cerioid) .....Group Eight (p. 33)
e) Corallites consisting of a meandering series of calices enclosed by a common wall (branching and forking may occur in some series), adjacent corallite series fused along their walls (sometimes corallites with a single calice may be present among the longer series as well) (Colony meandroid) .....Group Nine (p. 36)
f) Corallites without distinct wall, septa and septocostae confluent between corallite centers.  Septocostal zone between corallite centers flat or at places raised into conical protuberances or ridges of various lengths, ridges commonly arranged in a radiating or meandering pattern which may enclose a single calice as well as a series of calices (Colony thammasteroid) .....Group Ten (p. 38)