Pincushion Star

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Pincushion Star
(Culcita novaeguineae)

Photo by Gerick Bergsma

Cushion stars host a number of symbiotic creatures, including Periclimenes shrimp, which live on the underside of its arms, and Carapus fish which live in its digestive track and enter and exit through its mouth.

	Pin Cushion Stars are common throughout the Indo-Pacific, including India, Thailand, South China Sea, Australia, New Guinea, Palau, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Hawaii and French Polynesia.
	Shallow reefs, reef flats and lagoons, from 0-30m.
	Detritus, Corals and Anemones.
	Cushion Stars, like other seastars, feed by extruding their stomachs from their mouths and digesting their prey externally.
	- Gerick Bergsma's PhD Research - Moorea Biocode Database

Coral Crab

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Coral Crab or "House Keeper" Crab
(Tetralia nigrolineata)

Photo by Hannah Stewart. Text by H. Stewart and G. Bergsma.

Tetralia crabs actively clean sediment off their host corals, enabling small corals to survive in high-sediment areas where they would otherwise be smothered.

	Crabs of the genus Tetralia are found throughout the Indo-Pacific.  T. nigrilineata has been reported from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Cook Islands, and New Caledonia.
	Shallow tropical reefs, reef flats and lagoons where Acropora corals grow.
	Coral mucus.
	Tetralia live only on Acropora corals and feed on their mucus.
	- National Geographic Kids - Moorea Biocode Database

Staghorn Coral

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Staghorn Coral
(Acropora pulchra)

Photo by Gerick Bergsma

	Throughout the Indo-pacific, including the Red Sea, Indonesia, Australia, Japan and Polynesia.
	Shallow back-reef and lagoon areas.
	Staghorn Coral receive energy from sunlight via photosynthetic symbionts (zooxanthellae) and plankton captured using stinging cells.
	Many fish use the dense stands of A. pulchra, which may grow up to 5 meters across, as refuge.  The maze of holes and crevices formed between the branches are too small and difficult to maneuver for many of the reef's larger predators, and provide an ideal habitat for juvenile fish to grow.
	- Australian Institute of Marine Science - Nancy Muehllehner's Graduate Research - What are Corals? - Moorea Biocode Database

Rosette Coral

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Rosette Coral or Rice Coral
(Montipora spp.)

Photo by J. O'Donnell. Text by Gerick Bergsma.

Montipora has highly plastic morphology, meaning that the shape it takes is highly variable from colony to colony, and often depends on its physical environment.  In shallow back reefs, Montipora often form flat plates, or simply crusts over the surface in which it is growing.  In deeper, fore reef environments, it can take the form of "rosettes", large spiraling flower like forms, often several meters in diameter.

	Throughout the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, New Guinea, Japan, Philippines, Micronesia, Hawaii, Pitcarin and French Polynesia.
	Common on fore reef, reef flat and lagoon habitats.
	Montipora receive energy from sunlight via photosynthetic symbionts (zooxanthellae) and plankton captured using stinging cells.
	There are many species of Montipora, which are generally quick to establish and fast growing.
	- Wikipedia - Gerick Bergsma's PhD Research - What are Corals? - Moorea Biocode Database