Species Diversity and Morphological Character of Coral, Family Pocilloporidae (Cnidaria:Anthozoa) on Bama Beach, Baluran National Park, East Java

Species Diversity and Morphological Character of Coral, Family Pocilloporidae (Cnidaria:Anthozoa) on Bama Beach, Baluran National Park, East Java

By: Taufiqi Andreawan
(tfqandreawan@yahoo.co.uk)
Ratih Aryasari, M.Si

Abstract
Coral reefs are the most complex ecosystem and have the highest productivity rate and biodiversity level from the other ecosystem in the ocean. Coral is the main component of the coral reef ecosystem which has low tolerant toward disturbances. Family Pocilloporidae is one of the coral Families which has wide distribution. Study about species diversity and morphological character of Pocilloporidae on Baluran has never been done yet. This research aim to study the species diversity among Family Pocilloporidae on Bama Beach, Baluran, East Java, and the definingl characters used to identify each group in the same category. Method used in this study was direct sampling with transect as guideline. The result shows that six species were found on Bama beach i.e. Pocillopora verrucosa, Pocillopora damicornis, Pocillopora eydouxi, Seriatopora hystrix, Seriatopora stellata, dan Stylophora pistillata. Pocilloporidae is differentiated from the other Family because of the size and position of the corralite, development of collumela, septa, and coenosteum. Differential character between genus are the verrucae and branching of the colony. Species is differentiated among each other by the branch-form of the colony, colony form, and the last size and verrucae form.

Keywords: Coral, Pocilloporidae, Bama beach, Baluran