Montipora prava

Nemenzo, 1967

Corallum low arborescent, laxly branched. Stems and branches sinuous, surface with prominent nodules accentuating crookedness; one stem 14 mm across at base, 10.5 cm high. Terminal branchlets distinctly tapering into conical or flat apices, usually arising as cluster at apex of branch or stem: one 7 mm across at base, 2.5 cm high, bearing one branch. Surface bristling with abundant, tall tubercles but calicles distinctly recognizable.

Corallites conspicuous, 1 mm across or little less, flush with surface; surrounding tubercles stand some distance from calicinal rim; interseptal loculi continuous with intercalicinal reticulum. Primaries wide, almost reaching center of calice, one actually does so in many calicles. Secondaries narrow, not complete cycle.

Intercalicinal areas covered almost uniformly all over with tall tubercles without tendency to join into ramparts or longitudinal ridges, except on the apices of branches where few, short ridges may be present. Intercalicinal reticulum discernible among tubercles, its round meshes narrower than the threads.

This is one of the few tuberculate ramose Montipora. Its most distinctive features are the laxly branched, sinuous, nodulous stems and branches and the conspicuous calicles.

Nemenzo, F. (1967). Systematic studies on Philippine shallow-water scleractinians. VI Suborder Astrocoeniina (Montipora and Acropora). (Part I - Text; Part II - Plates). Natural and Applied Science Bulletin, University of the Philippines. 20: 1-141, 143-223.

Unaccepted

Montipora cactus Bernard, 1897

WoRMS Editorial Board. (2024). World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2024-05-02. doi:10.14284/170

Plate X, Fig 1:UP C-1257:Guiuan, Samar (Militante) 1965-type

UP C-1256:Guiuan, Samar (Militante) 1965-type

UP C-1258:Guiuan, Samar (Militante) 1965-type

Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City