Largebrain Root Coral

Appearance

''Lobophyllia hemprichii'' is a colonial species of coral that may form hemispherical or flattened mounds up to 5 m in diameter.

Several adjacent colonies, sometimes of different colours, may grow together to form a composite colony. The corralites may be phaceloid or flabello-meandroid .

Each corallite has a number of septa which taper in thickness and have tall sharp teeth. This coral is some shade of grey, pink, violet or yellowish-brown, sometimes a uniform colour or sometimes with contrasting regions. '

'L. hemprichii'' is a zooxanthellate coral, having single-celled photosynthesizing organisms known as dinoflagellates living within the tissues. Photosynthesis of these protists provides the coral with nutrients. The thick, fleshy polyps can retract back into the corallite cups in which they sit or extend their tentacles to feed.

Naming

In its specific name Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg honoured his late partner the Prussian naturalist Wilhelm Hemprich; they were among the first to study the marine life of the Red Sea.

Distribution

''Lobophyllia hemprichii'' is native to the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Africa through the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal to Japan, Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia.

Status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists this species as being of "least concern", on the basis that it has a wide range and is common in most of that range.

Habitat

It is most common at depths between 9 and 15 m but can occur down to about 50 m. It is found on upper reef slopes, where it is often the dominant species of coral and sometimes the only species.