您可以在越南富国岛看到哪些珊瑚物种?

Dive into the giant barrel sponge in North-east Coral Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

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1. Knotted Fan Coral 

Knotted Fan Coral grows in tree-like fans on coral reefs, colonies vary in colour but tend to be shades of yellow, orange, red and white, sometimes with contrasting colours for the calyces and polyps. It is an azooxanthellate coral and does not contain symbiotic unicellular algae in its tissues. In Phu Quoc, these corals are found at North-east Coral Reef and Coral Jungle Reef. (Read more)

 

2. Flowerpot Coral

Goniopora, often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions.

Flowerpot coral in the North-east Coral Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
Flowerpot coral in the North-east Coral Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Goniopora have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tentacles which surrounds a mouth. In the South of Phu Quoc Island, we can find very huge-size flowerpot coral colonies such as the Coral Hill and the biggest one at the Coral Steep Reef.

Snorkeling & diving to explore Coral Hill in Phu Quoc island, Vietnam. The second largest flowerpot coral cluster in whole Phu Quoc
Snorkeling & diving to explore Coral Hill in Phu Quoc island, Vietnam. The second largest flowerpot coral cluster in whole Phu Quoc

 

3. Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral

Toadstool Leather Coral is one of the most popular soft corals in Phu Quoc Island, Toadstool Leather Coral are shaped like a mushroom. Sarcophyton glaucum, also known as toadstool leather coral or rough leather coral, is a common species of soft coral found from the Red Sea to western Pacific Ocean and Phu Quoc Island in particular at the Shallow Reef, Half-moon Reef, North-east Coral Reef and Coral Jungle Reef.

Toads Tool Leather Mushroom Coral at Phu Quoc Half-moon Reef
Toads Tool Leather Mushroom Coral at Phu Quoc Half-moon Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

 

4. Finger Leather Coral

Sinularia polydactyla, known as Finger Leather Coral, is a species of soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae. Bio-active isolates called durumolides have been found in all samples of this coral. The Finger Leather Coral is very aggressive, they are toxic toward other corals due to their release of terpenes (poisons to ward off encroaching corals). They have been known to harm some stony coral species of Acropora like the Staghorn Acropora. In Phu Quoc Island, we can find Finger Leather Coral-covered walls and rocks at the Half-moon Reef.

Phu Quoc Sinularia Finger Leather Coral (6)
Sinularia polydactyla, known as Finger Leather Coral, is a species of soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae found in Phu Quoc Island

 

5. Carnation Coral (one of the most beautiful soft coral)

The Carnation Tree Coral or Dendronephthya Carnation is one of the most beautiful and peaceful corals, and is also known as the Cauliflower Soft Coral. Oftentimes, variations of these common names (such as flower tree coral) are applied to the similar and closely related genus Scleronephthya. Colonies of rather miniscule polyps form highly branched structures that can reach a meter in height. They may be richly pigmented; color varies considerably, but exquisite pink, orange and lavender hues are common.

Carnation coral in Half-moon Reef Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
Carnation coral, one of the most beautiful soft coral found in Half-moon Reef, Phu Quoc, Vietnam

It does not contain the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae, therefore, its diet should include live, baby brine shrimp, micro-plankton, and other small foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates, in order to survive in the reef aquarium. These foods must be available almost constantly. In Phu Quoc Island, we can see this coral at the Half-moon Reef and the Isolated Rock Reef.

6. Plate Coral

Plate coral in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
Plate coral in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

 

7. Lace Coral (Cauliflower Coral)

Pocillopora damicornis, commonly known as the Cauliflower coral or Lace coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Pocilloporidae. It is native to tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Lace coral in the North-east Coral Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
Lace or Cauliflower coral in the North-east Coral Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Pocillopora damicornis is a colonial coral and can grow into clumps up to 30 cm (12 in) high. It is distinguishable from other members of the genus by the verrucae (wart-like growths) on its surface being more irregularly arranged. It is more branched than the otherwise similar P. verrucosa. Its form varies according to its habitat and is more open and branched in calm positions and more compact on the upper parts of reefs where water movement is greater. Its colour varies and may be greenish, pink, yellowish-brown or pale brown. In Phu Quoc Lace Coral or Cauliflower coral is one of the most abundant species with a wide variety of colors.

Lace coral in the North-east Coral Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
Lace or Cauliflower coral in the North-east Coral Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

In Phu Quoc we can see these Lace corals in purple colors, green colors at the Coral Steep, North-east Coral Reef and especially gardens of Lace Corals at the Coral Jungle Reef.

 

8. Salad Coral

Turbinaria mesenterina, commonly known as Disc coral or Salad Coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being “vulnerable”.

Salad Coral in Phu Quoc Island, VIetnam ("Vulnerable" Globally)
Salad Coral in Phu Quoc Island, VIetnam (“Vulnerable” Globally)

Turbinaria mesenterina is encrusting or forms flat or vase-shaped plates with corallites only on one side. The corallites are conical and about 2 mm (0.08 in) in diameter. This coral is quite variable in form, depending on depth and water conditions. In Phu Quoc we can see many of this coral at the North-east Coral Reef.

 

9. Leaf Coral (Pavona Decussata) Vulnerable Globally (IUCN Red List)

Pavona is a genus of colonial stony corals in the family Agariciidae. These corals are found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific region and Phu Quoc Island in particular. Corals in this Pavona genus (Cactus, Leaf, Lettuce Coral…) in general have a range of different forms including those that are massive, meandering, columnar, leaf-like, and plate-like. A single species may vary in form according to the current, wave action, lighting conditions, and depth of its location.

10. Leaf Coral (Pavona Frondifera)

Pavona frondifera Colony composed of a mixture of horizontal laminae and upright fronds. … Pavona frondifera Upright contorted fronds of a large colony.

 

The anti-fog mask keep the glass clear during snorkeling time
The Coral Mountain is the largest Pavona Frondifera coral colony in whole Phu Quoc water

11. Table Coral or Brush Coral (Acropora hyacinthus) Near threatened (NT) (IUCN Red List)

Corals that form broad horizontal surfaces are commonly called table corals. This pattern of growth increases the exposed surface area of the coral to the water column. Polyps are provided greater access to light for their zooxanthellae and it is easier for them to feed on zooplankton with their tentacles. In Phu Quoc we can find large table garden at the Shallow Reef, the Coral Jungle Reef and some of big size table corals at the Coral Steep and North-east Coral Reef.

Table coral at Shallow Reef, Phu Quoc Island - Snorkeling & Diving in Phu Quoc, Vietnam
A big-size Table coral colony at the Shallow Reef, Phu Quoc Island – Snorkeling & Diving in Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Acropora hyacinthus occurs in plate- or table-shaped wide colonies that consist of a number of thin branches in a lattice structure. It has strongly inclined branchlets. A. hyacinthus has axial dominant branches, i.e. each branch has a large dominant axial corallite with much smaller cup-shaped radial corallites. The corallites on specimens of Acropora hyacinthus are often darker than the main branch structure. The species looks similar to many tabular Acropora species and is often misidentified in the field.

 

12. Fiat Plate-like Coral (Lithophyllon undulatum) Near Threatened (NT) (IUCN Red List)

Flat plate-like Coral or Lithophyllon undulatum, attached at the base with a stalk but wavy with lobes at the edges. May also be encrusting. The corallites form a distinctive pattern of thick parallel lines perpendicular to the edge. There is a ‘waist’ in the parallel lines at the mouth of the corallite, i.e., the parallel lines merge at regular intervals. The walls are thick with fine ‘teeth’.

Removing harmful corals which invade coral reefs in Phu Quoc
A harmful coral (Button Polyps) is invasing a Flat plate-like Coral or Lithophyllon undulatum (Yellow Color) in the North-east Coral Reef, Phu Quoc

13. Massive Horn Coral (Hydnophora microconosiat) Near Threatened (NT) (IUCN Red List)

Massive Horn Coral has large, massive colonies which are always rounded and without the foliaceous or branched projections of Hydnophora exesa. The surface is covered with neat, regular monticules, which are smaller than in H. exesa, being <2 to 5 mm diameter. The species is common in shallow, exposed water and it is very rarely found below 10 m deep. It is a constant component of the reef crest community on all but extremely exposed reefs, and on these it is merely displaced into deeper pockets on the reef flat and into water 2 – 5 m deep. Colonies are massive, rounded, with hydnophores 2-3 mm in diameter. Colour: dull cream, brown or green. Abundance: seldom common, occurs primarily in lagoons and on protected reef slopes.

Massive Horn Coral (Hydnophora microconos) in the Shallow Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
Massive Horn Coral (Hydnophora microconos) in the Shallow Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

In Phu Quoc this coral speices can be found at almost coral reefs.