This species of coral looks alien, with the orange, red, and green coloration and texture.
This species of coral looks alien, with the orange, red, and green coloration and texture. I’ve always enjoyed this species coral, which can grow to be quite large and live hundreds of years. The small neon blue and black fish in the center is a neon goby. These fish are only around an inch long, so that can give you an idea of scale. Sometimes it can be hard to tell how big a coral is without a subject in the foreground to provide scale. These neon gobies are a reliable candidate for the job, as they are often found swimming around a variety of species of coral heads in the Florida Keys, where this photograph was taken. Their vibrant blue color makes them a great photography subject.
These little blue neon goby fish are considered “cleaners”. They remove small parasites from larger fish, and in a symbiotic fashion the larger fish do not prey upon these little cleaner fish. These cleaner fish also remove dead skin on larger fish, as well as infected tissue. As a scuba diver, we see these “cleaning stations” atop coral heads on the reef. These small cleaners, like neon gobies, swim through the gill chambers and mouths of the large fish. These large fish tend to hover in place at cleaning stations for up to a few minutes to get serviced.
Cactus coral, along with a growing list of corals, is considered threatened. However, in 2022 there was a small bit of good news. Researchers were able to get rough cactus coral to produce offspring in a laboratory setting. This was the first time this had been done. Why is that good news? There is a relatively new coral disease called Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), which first appeared in Florida around 2014. This disease affects multiple species of coral, with high death rates associated. This disease wipes out entire sections of reef. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease has now spread to other Caribbean islands. Stony corals were already struggling, but this recent disease has made things dire. Because of this, researchers are gene banking corals, ensuring they survive, preserving the biodiversity, in an effort to save what’s left.
Researchers were able to get rough cactus coral to produce offspring in a laboratory setting. This was the first time this had been done.
Did you know?
- Other cleaner fish species include wrasse, pipefish, and lumpsuckers. Additionally, there are species of cleaner shrimp that display the same behavior.
- Reefs only make up ~1% of the ocean, but encompass ~25% of all marine life.
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