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

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

The reefs of the eastern tropical Pacific along the coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama are shallow, and most consist of Pocillopora, a type of stony coral that looks like cauliflower.

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2023

Of acute concern is the highly contagious stony coral tissue loss disease that has emerged in the past four years.

From Scientific American • Dec. 9, 2022

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

From Science Magazine • Jul. 12, 2022

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.