Subipedia
MILLEPORIDAE – Fire coral
MILLEPORIDAE – Fire coral
Although we know the Milleporidaen as fire coral, it is no coral in the actual sense.
The fire corals belong to the class of hydrozoans from the cnidarians.
The real corals also belong to the species of the cnidarians, however, form an independent type, that of the Anthozoa's.
The anthozoa's consist of a calcareous skeleton with calyx-like polyps and tentacles.
The fire coral also consists of a calcareous skeleton with polyps but without calyx and without tentacles. One polyp serves for nutrition and one polyp has the nettle cells for defense.
These nettle cells are visible to the naked eye, just like the tiny hairs on our skin.
Widespread in the Red Sea and can be seen practically on every dive.
The net fire coral - Millepora dichotoma
The plate fire coral - Millepora platyphylla
The name fire coral is based on the fact that when touched, the coral shoots off its stinging cells and is felt as burning on our skin.
This, however, only in the skin area with "thin" skin, such as the wrist.
When touching the coral with the fingertips, we do not feel a burning sensation, because the coral cells are not able to penetrate the thicker skin of the fingertips.
Photos: Johann Vifian
Sources: Wikipedia / Lieske coral reef guide