Great Star Coral
Montastraea cavernosa

f22 @ 1/60S, ASA 25, Kodachrome 25 slide film, Nikonos II w 28mm and 1:3 extension tube, Oceanic 2000 flash and aluminum flash reflector


"Montastraea," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Montastraea is a genus of colonial stony coral found in the Caribbean seas. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Montastraeidae and contains a single species, Montastraea cavernosa, known as great star coral. It forms into massive boulders and sometimes develops into plates. Great star coral colonies form massive boulders and domes over 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter in waters of shallow and moderate depths. In deeper waters, this coral has been observed growing as a plate formation. It is found throughout most reef environments, and is the predominant coral at depths of 40–100 feet (12.2-30.5 m).
Salt River Canyon, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
 
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