Warty Cauliflower Coral, Pocillopora verrucosa
Warty Cauliflower Coral, Pocillopora verrucosa. Coral collected from a greater Los Cabos tidal pool, Baja California Sur, January 2010. First photograph is of an in vivo colony that range in size from 1 m (3 feet 3 inches) square by 15 cm (5.9 inches) deep. The second photograph is of one branch that is 6.0 cm (2.5 inches) x 6.0 cm (2.5 inches) x 4.0 cm (1.5 inches).
Warty Cauliflower Coral, Pocillopora verrucosa. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2018. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah. Identification courtesy of Greg Timms, youtube.com/@CoralmasterdivesPuertoVallarta/videos.
Warty Cauliflower Coral, Pocillopora verrucosa. Underwater photographs taken in Banderas Bay, Puerta Vallarta, Jalisco, July 2026. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Greg Timms, youtube.com/@CoralmasterdivesPuertoVallarta/videos.
Phylogeny: The Warty Cauliflower Coral, Pocillopora verrucosa, is a member of the Pocilloporidae Family of Stony Coral. The Pocillopora Genus is one of four genera in the Pocilloporidae Family and there are twenty-three species in the Pocillopora Genus. The genus name Pocillopora comes from the Greek words meaning “many-colored pores” referring to the diverse appearance of corals in this genus. They are also known as the Rasp Coral and the Knob-horned Coral and in Mexico as simply Coral Coliflor.
Morphology: The Warty Cauliflower Coral is a colonial coral that grows into hemispherical clumps that are up to 12 cm in diameter. Their branches are 1.0 cm (0.4 inches) to 2.0 cm (0.8 inches) thick and have clubbed tips. The surface is covered with large verrucae (wart-like growths) up to 6 mm (0.24 inches) high and the corallites (the stony cups from which the polyps emerge) are 1.0 mm (0.04 inches) in diameter. They vary in color from yellowish-green, pink, brown or bluish-brown. The Warty Cauliflower Coral may be confused with the Graceful Cauliflower Coral, Pocillopora elegans (which is thinner with smaller bump-like, branches) and with the Cat’s Paw Coral, Pocillopora damicornia (broader, somewhat flattened, club-tipped branches and verrucae that are more evenly sized and spaced).
Habitat and Distribution: The Warty Cauliflower Coral is found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific with the exception that is absent from north of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, along the central and northwest coasts of the Baja Peninsula and north of Loreto, Baja California Sur, in the Sea of Cortez. They grow on hard substrates and thrives in shallow reef environments with good tidal flows and are found from the lowest intertidal zone to a depths up to 54 m (175 feet). Worldwide, Cauliflower Corals are the second most important coral contributor to reef formation.
Diet: Cauliflower Corals have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae (single-cell dinoflagellates). Zooxanthellae live within certain coral polyps, sea anemones, jellyfish, and nudibranchs. They produce energy by means of photosynthesis and the energy is passed along to their hosts, sometimes providing the majority of the host’s total energy needs. In return, the host provides nutrients, carbon dioxide, and a secure, sunlit, platform for the zooxanthellae. During periods of chemical or thermal stress the corals can eject the zooxanthellae to reduce metabolic stress. This causes the coral to appear white. This process is known as coral bleaching. Coral bleaching can be an indicator of an unhealthy environment, or a natural response to a short-term condition such as El Niño. The coral will replace the zooxanthellae after the stress is resolved, or it will acquire a different species of zooxanthellae that is better accommodated to the new environment. In either case, the polyp risks starvation if it is unable to replace the zooxanthellae quickly. Cauliflower Corals supplement the energy provided by zooxanthellae by using their tentacles to capture amphipods and other plankton from the surrounding water. The tentacles then pass the food to the mouth. Because these polyps cannot change location, the Cauliflower Corals are found in areas where moving water, caused by wave action or current, brings them more food.
Predation: Polyps of the Warty Cauliflower Coral are preyed upon by crabs, fish, gastropods, sea stars and polychaete worms.
Reproduction: Warty Cauliflower Coral polyps are hermaphrodites, that reproduce sexually via broadcast spawning. The developing larvae are brooded within the parent polyp until they are ready to be released as planktonic larvae, which later settle to the bottom. They tend to spawn each month within a couple of days surrounding a new moon. They also reproduce asexually through fragmentation and budding. The polyps have life spans of seven or eight years.
Ecosystem Interactions: Warty Cauliflower Corals host a variety of organisms in a commensal relationship, including brittle stars, crabs, fish, gastropods, shrimp, small octopus, and worms. These animals find shelter between the branches of the Warty Cauliflower Coral.
Human Interactions: Cauliflower Coral has a wide application in the aquarium trade due its easy propagation and adaptable nature. Historically it has also been harvested for sale as curios or souvenirs. It is now protected from harvest in most areas. Otherwise, Cauliflower Coral has a very limited impact on human activities. They are vulnerable to damage from boat groundings, improper anchor usage, coral bleaching, disease, and unnaturally high populations of Crown-of-Thorns, Ancanthaster planci. From a conservation perspective the Warty Cauliflower Coral is currently is considered to be Vulnerable or Endangered depending on the region.
Synonyms: None