An 8 to 10" Green Fire Coral Cluster

One Green Fire Coral Cluster measuring 8 to 10 inches.

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Fire Corals are a genus of colonial marine organisms that exhibit physical characteristics similar to that of coral. The name coral is somewhat misleading, as fire corals are not true corals but are instead more closely related to Hydra and other hydrozoans, making them hydrocorals. They make up the only genus in the monotypic family Milleporidae.

Fire coral derives its name from the intense burning sensation one gets when you touch or brush up against it. Fire coral, like all coral, falls into the animal kingdom. Many people think of coral as plants or sometimes mineral formations but they are part of the Kingdom Animalia.

The polyps of fire corals are near microscopic size and are mostly embedded in the skeleton and connected by a network of minute canals. All that is visible on the smooth surface are pores of two sizes: gastropores and dactylopores. Millepora means thousand pores. Dactylozooids have long fine hairs that protrude from the skeleton. The hairs possess clusters of stinging cells and capture prey, which is then engulfed by gastrozooids, or feeding polyps, situated within the gastropores. As well as capturing prey, fire corals gain nutrients via their special symbiotic relationship with algae known as zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae live inside the tissues of the coral, and provide the coral with food, which they produce through photosynthesis, so require sunlight. In return, the coral provides the algae with protection and access to sunlight. The hollow tubes in fire coral can also be used to store oxygen to offset any organism that bumps into it.

There are different types of spores on the surface of the fire coral one type is called dactylopores. The dactylopores have long fine hairs that protrude from the skeleton. The hairs possess clusters of stinging cells (nematocysts). These hairs capture prey, which is then engulfed by gastrozooids, or feeding polyps, situated within the gastropores (the other type of pores found in fire coral). The fine hairs protruding from the dactylopores also inflict the stings on human skin.

When capturing prey, fire corals gain nutrients through a symbiotic relationship with algae known as zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae live under the clear skin of fire coral, and provide the coral with food, which they produce through photosynthesis. The coral then provides the algae with protection and access to sunlight which the zooxanthellae require for survival. The amount and type of algae will contribute to the color and appearance of the coral.

Reproduction in fire corals is more complex than in other reef-building corals. The polyps reproduce sexually, producing jellyfish-like medusae, which are released into the water from special cup-like structures known as ampullae. The medusae contain the reproductive organs that release eggs and sperm into the water. Fertilized eggs then develop into free-swimming larvae that will eventually settle on the substrate and form new colonies. Fragmentation of the main colony is another possible method of asexual reproduction, and most imported specimens arrive as pieces broken off a larger colony.

Fire corals are found on reefs in tropical and subtropical waters, such as the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. They are found in shallow reefs where the most amount of sunlight is able to reach them, allowing for a higher rate of photosynthesis of the algae that lives in their tissues. Fire corals thrive in an environment with a high, strong current, and warm water. They are found in almost all places in the world, except for cold coastal regions. They are also abundant on upper reef slopes and in lagoons, and occur down to 131 feet deep.

Reproduction in fire corals is more complex than in other reef-building corals. The polyp of fire coral releases a medusa that releases its eggs in the water stream. Then another male medusa fertilizes the eggs with its sperm, which then produces a planula. A planula then floats in the water under it finds a reef it is able to attach to and grow back into a polyp, settling on a hard surface. Then the cycle repeats.

Fire corals are sessile (fixed in one place) creatures that can attach to rocks, coral, seaweed, pilings, artificial reefs or man-made structures. Their shape can vary. Most common types are either branching or blade shaped coral, however, fire coral can encrust many existing structures like dead coral, rocks, moorings, pilings, ship wrecks or other objects found underwater. These encrusting forms of fire coral can take on the shape of whatever object they are covering.

While most fire corals are yellow or orange, they can also be found in shades of brown, green, and even blue, providing a vibrant display underwater. The types of fire coral found in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico are a mustard yellow to light tan color with white tips. They usually appear to have a smooth satin-like surface on which they tend to produce very fine hair-like structures that create a fuzzy look to the surface. These are the structures that can sting.

Fire corals face the many threats impacting coral reefs globally, including poor land management practices releasing more sediment, nutrients, and pollutants into the oceans and stressing the fragile reef ecosystem. Overfishing has effects that result in the increase of macroalgae that can outcompete and smother corals, and fishing using destructive methods physically devastates the reef. A further potential threat is the increase of coral bleaching events, as a result of global climate change.

Coral bleaching is a major threat to all types of coral. Coral bleaching is when the coral expels the zooxanthella that they feed on, which causes them to turn white, hence "bleaching." Corals can not live long in this state, yet if environmental conditions return to normal, then the zooxanthella can return and the coral will return healthy again.

Fire corals are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Hydrozoa

Order: Anthoathecata

Suborder: Capitata

Family: Milleporidae

Fleming, 1828

Genus: Millepora

Linnaeus, 1758

(REF: "Fire Coral". Lamar University. April 27, 2024.)(REF: Cornwell, Mureil (March 6, 2024). Smith, Sherman (ed.). "19 Fire Coral Facts". Facts.net)(REF: "The Fire Corals". Aquarium Net. October 1996. Archived from the original on 2008-02-06)(REF: What is Coral Bleaching and Why Should You Care?". Coral Reef Alliance. March 17, 2023)(REF: Kropp, M.L. Parsley B. C. Burnett, Lee Omer. (2018). Millepora species(Fire Coral) Sting: A Case Reportand Review of Recommended Management'. Vol. 29)(REF: Fire Coral". Reef Smart Guides.)(REF: Wilkinson, C. (2004) Status of Coral Reefs around the Word. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia)(REF: CITES: Appendices I, II and III Archived November 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine)(REF: "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Millepora Linnaeus, 1758)