Organ pipe coral

Skeleton of Tubipora musica

The organ coral ( Tubipora musica ) occurs in the Red Sea and tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean usually in extremely bright surroundings on the reef roofs. It is the only species of its genus, is one of the Octocorallia and is a reef-building corals of only three of this subclass. The other two are the Blue Coral ( Heliopora coerulea ) and Sinularia leptoclados. The organ coral lives in an endosymbiosis with unicellular symbiotic algae ( zooxanthellae ) that supply the coral with nutrients.

Features

The organ coral forms massive, cushion-like colonies that can to a meter reach a diameter of ten centimeters and consist of a measuring to two millimeters in diameter, parallel, vertical calcareous tubes that are in tiers connected by horizontal boards. The skeleton reminiscent of organ pipes. It is colored bright red by embedded dyes. Depending on the location of the colony and depending on the strength of water movement vary tube spacing and diameter. In the surf of the Riffrandes the tubes grow most densely. The different growth forms were previously described as different species, but are now all united in Tubipora musica.

In each tube lies a polyp, as with all eight-rayed flowers animals, eight tentacles. The tentacles are pinnate, the leaflets but barely visible because they are grown together. The polyps are usually colored gray, light brown or greenish. Often the tentacles of the oral disc is green, gray. For opened polyps, the skeleton can not be seen.

Use

Since the coral is collected by the dried skeletons to sell as souvenirs to tourists, or process in the jewelry industry, it has become rare. In saltwater aquarium, the organ coral is hardly tenable.