Abstract
This study of ten Indo-Pacific and Caribbean scleractinian corals explains their relative aggressive proficiencies in terms of their cnidoms. Species ranging from aggressive to subordinate, on an established hierarchy, were studied. Size, number and distribution of each cnida type were quantified. A marked relationship between number of nematocysts per polyp and aggressive proficiency was demonstrated. The recorded differences in aggressive proficiency between the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean corals are discussed in terms of cnidom differences. In two species a significant trend in linear distribution of nematocysts along mesenterial filaments was recorded, with a distinct zonation of the different nematocyst types along the length of the filament.
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Thomason, J.C., Brown, B.E. The enidom: an index of aggressive proficiency in scleractinian corals. Coral Reefs 5, 93–101 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00270357
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00270357