About Montipora capitata (Dana, 1846)
Montipora capitata is an encrusting, colonial coral that develops arborescent forms as it matures. Its corallites are tiny and well separated by coenosteum, with indistinct walls and septa. The skeleton is porous, and small, smooth surface projections called verrucae are irregularly spaced across the structure. These verrucae may fuse near branch tips, and they give the species its common name of rice coral. Montipora capitata is normally pale brown, with white verrucae. This coral occurs in the tropical north and central Pacific Ocean, at depths down to 20 metres (66 ft). It is common in the waters surrounding Hawaii, especially in areas with turbulent seas. The crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, appears to preferentially feed on corals in the genus Montipora. This starfish is a voracious predator, and it can cause devastating damage to slow-growing corals like Montipora capitata.
