stony coral

American  

noun

1. a true coral consisting of numerous anthozoan polyps embedded in the calcareous material that they secrete.

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stony coral British  

noun

1. any coral of the order Madreporaria, having a calcareous skeleton, aggregations of which form reefs and islands

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Etymology

Origin of stony coral

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stony coral

During outbreaks of their carnivorous adult phase, crown-of-thorns starfish dine pervasively on stony coral, leaving lifeless skeletons across the reef.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2023

“Their stony coral buddies don’t do a great job with producing sheets and trees,” Edmunds says.

From Science Magazine ● Jul. 12, 2022

Just five deep-sea stony coral species create reefs like the one we found in August.

From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2018

Other studies have also shown that stony coral reefs are vulnerable to rises in temperature that can cause a whitening that can lead to death.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 25, 2013

These walls were the express achievements of madrepores known by the names fire coral, finger coral, star coral, and stony coral.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Walter, F. P.