Thin Birdsnest Coral

Description:

Also known as Needle Coral, S. hystrix colonies are made up of tangles of thin, sharply-pointed branches up to about 25cm across on fore-reef slopes. However, in areas that are sheltered or sedimented, they can reach 1m across. The linear alignment of calices is very noticeable, and calices are markedly oval in most cases. Branches are tapered to a point; they may be either widely spaced or compact. Color: cream, blue or pink.

Habitat:

In the Indo-West Pacific, this species is found in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the southwest and central Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, tropical Australia, southern Japan and the South China Sea, the oceanic West Pacific, and the central Pacific. S. hystrix occurs over a wide range of depths, but is particularly abundant in shallow water in sheltered conditions. It is most abundant in back reef of lagoonal areas where colonies can cover up to 30% of the substrate (Sheppard, 1998).

Notes:

This coral was spotted at a depth of less than 3m. They occur all over the Davao Gulf, and can be seen at any dive site. Two of the photos show a yellow dot guard crab (Trapezia lutea) living among the coral's branches.