User:MegZ012/Millepora boschmai

Millepora boschmai is a critically endangered species of fire coral. It was previously catalogued in two protected areas in Panama, the Coiba National Park and the Golfo de Chiriquí National Park.

This species was typically found in upper, forereef slopes to deep sand and rubble slopes but they were most abundant at the reef base and deeper outer slopes.

Etymology:

Millepora Boschmai was names after the late Professor H. Boschma to honor his contributions to the taxonomy of Millepora

Overview:

Coral reefs cover around 225,000 square kilometers of the Earth’s surface and harbor more than millions of species globally. They provide services for the ecosystem as well as advantages to tropical communities such as coastal protections, nurseries and sources of nutrition in fisheries, tourism, etc. Over the course of time, humans have helped to induce climate change which is warming sea surface waters causing bleaching of corals and widespread mortality of coral reefs. Coral bleaching is when corals expel their symbiotic algae that live within the coral [4]. When corals eventually die from this bleaching the reed structures are slowly eroded and following that many species who live in the corals start to disappear.

Description:

Millepora boschmai is in the family of Milleporidae and are colonial polyp cnidarians of the class Hydrozoa that produce calcium carbonate skeletons. These colonies spread over several meters and produce dense forests of branches in shallow water coral reefs of tropical seas. The Millepora species skeletal features are directly correlated to the environment. Reefs with turbulent water form bladed or plate-like forms, while in quiet waters result in upright and thin branches. Millepora differs from Scleractinia, coral building Anthozoa, due to the absence of corallites and the prescnce of minute pores taht are scattered over the corallum surface [3]

Millepora Boschmai is narrowly restricted to the Gulf of Chiriquí in the Tropical Panamic Pacific Province. It was first observed in Panama in 1970 and was considered to be a new species, but disappeared from this area after a severe El Niño-Southern Oscillation event. After this discovery, there were no other discoveries of Millepora Boschmai colonies even after 8 years of extensive surveys and so they concluded that this species was extinct globally and regionally. Then after 7 months after the publication of the extinction of the species, 5 colonies were found at a cove north of Uva Island, Gulf of Chiriquí, a total of 8 colonies were found between Uva and Coiba Island, but have not been seen alive since that last survey that was taken their in 2001 and 2007. Millepora Boschmai is best considered as a regionally extinct species, because they are now known to occur elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific Region [3]

Millepora have irregularly encrusted bases which have plate-like growths that arise from the base and can reach 12 cm high and .5-1 cm thick. These plates are irregularly outlined and increase in width distally, lateral plate-like extensions occasionally develop between the plates, which form a weakly developed box-like framework.

The surface of the Millepore is generally smooth and is covered in tiny pores that polyps protrude out of.

Ecology:

Millepora Boschmai are commonly found in upper, forereef slope (2m) to deep sandy and rubble slopes. Millepora Boschmai was the least abundant of 3 hydrocoral species in the reef proper, but the most abundant at the reef base and deeper outer slopes [2]

Feeding/Defense:

Millepora species defend themselves and catch prey by means of cnidocyte (stinging cells). Each cnidocyte contains a specialized organelle called the nematocysts, which consists if a capsule that contains venom. Defensive polyps protrude form the skeleton of the Millepora species and these polyps are numerous and highly toxic. This is a popular reason they are called fire coral or stinging corals

Reproduction:

Reproduction in Millepora is characterized by alternation of generations with a well-developed polypoid stage that buds of planktonic medusae. Sexual reproduction is seasonal for some species and the medusae have a short planktonic life. While asexual reproduction is acheived by sympodial growth, where the new growth of skeleton and soft tissue is along a growing edge or tip, and by reattachment, regeneration, and/or repair of damaged fragments.