Pillar Coral is one of the most spectacular stony corals found in the Western Atlantic Ocean, Southern Florida and Caribbean Seas. It derives its name for obvious reasons from its sizeable finger-like branches. They can reach a height of nearly 3 meters (9 feet). Dendrogyra cylindrus) inhabits shallow, warm, clear waters from 3 to 80 feet depths (1 to 25 meters), typically on reef, rocky or sandy substrates. They are commonly found on flat to gently sloping areas in well-circulated, nutrient-poor areas.

Pillar Coral colonies were once more abundant along the Florida reefs, but commercial collections and coral bleaching has greatly reduced the occurrence of Pillar Corals placing them on the endangered list.

Pillar Corals extend their polyp tentacles during the daytime, unlike most other stony corals.  The  tentacles gently sway with the currents and if one of the polyps is touched by something foreign, it swiftly contracts causing a wave of shriveling polyps sweep over the entire colony in a period of a few seconds.     

Check out this exceptional photo of Pillar Coral

CLASSIFICATION OF PILLAR CORAL

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Cnidardia (Large marine group characterized with stinging cells, tentacles and no skeletons or organs)
• Class: Anthozoa (Flower Animal)
• Order: Scleratinia (Stony Coral)
• Suborder: Faviidae (General Spherical Shape)
• Family: Meandrinidae (Meandering valleys between corallites)
• Genus: Dendrogyra (Tall pillar like growth form)
• Species: Cylindricus

What’s being done to bring back threats to coral reefs? Coral farming; see video to find out about this effort to restore the reef along Florida Keys.

I feel privileged to have inherited this sample as part of a collection from my beautiful mother-in-law, Winkie.

For more interesting facts, photos and identification of Florida and Atlantic Coast Corals scoll to the “Categories” sidebar to “Corals Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Coasts”.

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