Hermatypic coral
Encyclopedia
Hermatypic corals or "stony corals" are reef-building coral
s, while corals that do not deposit aragonite
structures and contribute to coral reef
development are referred to as ahermatypic (non-reef-building) species.
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
s, while corals that do not deposit aragonite
Aragonite
Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the two common, naturally occurring, crystal forms of calcium carbonate, CaCO3...
structures and contribute to coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
development are referred to as ahermatypic (non-reef-building) species.