About
Ctenella chagius is a member of the small Meandrinidae family and is found exclusively in the Chagos Archipelago, Mauritius and La Réunion in the Indian Ocean.
Reefs within the Chagos Archipelago have been subject to recent mass bleaching events with high subsequent mortality and loss of habitat.
The majority of C.chagius’ range lies within the Chagos Marine Reserve and its habitat is therefore protected from anthropogenic impacts such as over fishing and destructive activities.
Ctenella chagius grows in hemi-spherical colonies which may be cream, green or light brown in colour.
- Order: Scleractinia
- Family: Meandrinidae
- Trend: decreasing
- Depth Range (m): 3 - 45
EDGE Score
Distribution
Ctenella chagius is found exclusively in the Chagos Archipelago, Mauritius and La Réunion in the Indian Ocean.
Habitat and Ecology
This species can be found on reef slopes and in lagoons at depths ranging between 3 and 45m.
Ctenella chagius has also shown an aggressive ability known as extracoelenteric digestion where a coral is able to extend its stomach in digestive filaments onto the living tissue of an adjacent coral and destroy it. This provides Ctenella with an important ecological advantage in a fiercely competitive struggle for light and space in reef ecosystems.