Porites Pink Blotch Disease

[Les Kaufman]

James and others:  my experience with Porites compressa, Porites lobata,
and Porites evermanni (or so I took it to be) is that at least these
species, and probably many other Porites, exhibit a pinkish or purplish
discoloration in response to virtually any persistent insult- be they
parasites, necrosis near fish bite marks, margins of advance by competing
assemblages of endolith/algal turf (unsure who the main culprit is), or
even the edges of damselfish gardens.  I think it is misleading to refer
to this collection of processes as a single disease.  Even if there is a
disease that produces a distinct, recognizable manifestation of the pink
discoloration, neophytes will have a devil of a time distinguishing it
from all the other pinkish blotches these corals produce.  Pink in
at least some Indo-Pacific Porites means "bad hair day."  Cindy Hunter,
help us!	  

Les Kaufman
Boston University Marine Program
lesk at bio.bu.edu
617-353-5560 office
617-353-6965 lab
617-353-6340 fax