Donny@ageofaquariums Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 In the remote Gambier Islands in French Polynesia, researchers have found a striking species of reef-building coral that was previously unknown to science.The new species, dubbed Echinophyllia tarae, is a type of stony coral or Scleractinia. These marine animals are quite ancient and they form hard skeletons that make up much of the scaffolding of today's coral reefs. Echinophyllia tarae was discovered in 2011 during an expedition mostly aimed at studying plankton by the French research organization Tara Oceans. The species is named after the vessel, Tara, used in the voyage, but the researchers note that in the local Polynesian language, "Tara" can also refer to a the name of a sea goddess or a spiny, pointed object. Dazzling New Coral Species Discovered | LiveScience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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