Colours
Distinguishing features
A coral that forms submassive colonies of rounded columns. These may reach large sizes in excess of 8m. Corallites have poorly defined walls and a granulated appearance, and polyps are often extended in the day time. Colonies are coloured rich grey-brown.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Shallow reef flats, lagoons, and back reef margins.
Can be found in most habitats around Lizard Island.
Behaviour
Recent morphological and molecular research has indicated that the Siderastreidae are not monophyletic, with the genera Psammocora and Coscinaraea have more affinity with the Fungiids than other genera of Siderastreidae. In the genus Psammocora, there is almost complete overlap of morphological and phylogenetic characteristics of P. contigua and P. obtusangula, and the latter is now considered a junior synonym of P. contigua. P. digitata however, is recognised as distinct both morphologically and genetically.
This species is a gonochoric broadcast spawner.
Web resources
References
- Baird, A.H., J.R. Guest and B.L. Willis (2009). Systematic and biogeographical patterns in the reproductive biology of scleractinian corals, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 40: 551-571.
- Benzoni, F., F. Stefani, J. Stolarski, M. Pichon and P. Galli (2007). Debating phylogenetic relationships of the scleractinian Psammocora: molecular and morphological evidences, Contributions to Zoology, 76: 33-52.
- Berumen, M.L. (2000). Influence of diet and habitat on the condition of butterflyfish, M.Sc. thesis, James Cook University. LIRS catalog number 719.
- View all references