Leptastrea purpurea (War Coral) Care Guide
Leptastrea purpurea is a hardy, encrusting Indo-Pacific stony coral known for high thermal tolerance and a brooding reproductive strategy.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Leptastrea purpurea is a colonial stony coral (order Scleractinia) widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific. It grows in an encrusting form, spreading over reef substrates as flat plates of small, closely packed polyps. The species is regarded as a generalist and is notable among hermatypic corals for tolerating elevated temperatures, which has made it a model organism in coral research and captive breeding.
Taxonomy
- Family: Leptastreidae (per WoRMS)
- Genus: Leptastrea (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849)
- Scientific name: Leptastrea purpurea
- Authority: (Dana, 1846)
- Common synonyms: Leptastrea roissyana, Leptastrea pruinosa
Habitat
The species ranges from the reefs of the western Indian Ocean through the Indo-Pacific Coral Triangle to the Hawaiian Islands. It is found from shallow fringing reef flats just below the surface down to depths exceeding 40 m. Documented populations on Guam tolerate extreme conditions, with shallow-reef water temperatures reaching about 34 degrees C and tide pools up to about 35 degrees C.
Aquarium care
- Temperature: 24-26 degrees C (75-79 degrees F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- Alkalinity (KH): 8-11 dKH
- Calcium: 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Difficulty: beginner
- Minimum tank maturity: about 3 months
Lighting and flow
Leptastrea purpurea meets most of its nutritional needs through symbiotic zooxanthellae, and good lighting sustains the colony. In the reef aquarium it is kept under medium light (roughly 75-175 PAR) with medium water flow that carries away waste and prevents detritus from settling on the encrusting tissue.
Feeding
The coral is largely photosynthetic, but supplemental feeding enhances growth and coloration. In laboratory culture, colonies have been fed nightly with Artemia nauplii. Captive specimens are commonly target-fed small meaty foods such as mysis.
Reproduction
Leptastrea purpurea is a hermaphroditic brooder rather than a broadcast spawner. Sperm released into the water are taken up by other colonies, where fertilization occurs internally within the polyp. Brooding colonies release larvae on a near-daily cycle; small colonies of about 1.5-3.0 inches diameter have released roughly four larvae per night, a trait that makes the species useful for continuous coral propagation research.
War Coral (Leptastrea purpurea): Propagation Guide
Overview
Leptastrea purpurea is a brooding faviid coral common in the waters of Guam, where it can be found in shallow water and easily collected. It is one of the most widespread Leptastrea species, ranging from East Africa across the Coral Triangle to the central Pacific, growing as an encrusting form with crater-like corallites that give rise to the popular bicolor war-coral morphs.
Reproductive Mode
Unlike broadcast-spawning corals, Leptastrea purpurea is a brooder that releases planula larvae directly from the polyps. A studied population in Guam releases larvae on a daily basis, which is unusual among brooding corals and has made the species a useful model organism for larval research. In aquaria, however, asexual fragging is the standard route.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
As an encrusting coral, Leptastrea is propagated by cutting the crust into pieces, each retaining several intact crater-like corallites and live tissue, or by snapping off rock the crust has grown over. Frags are dipped, glued to plugs or rubble, and placed where the crust can resume spreading. Its fast encrusting growth makes it a forgiving species to frag.
Sexual Reproduction
Larval settlement in Leptastrea purpurea is induced by chemical cues; research found dopamine, glutamic acid, and epinephrine significantly triggered settlement, with dopamine the strongest. While this brooding biology supports lab larval rearing, hobbyists rely on division rather than sexual propagation.
Common Challenges
Leptastrea is hardy, so the main risks are mechanical: a ragged cut or detritus settling on the flat crust during healing. Adequate flow over the new frag and a coral dip after cutting keep the exposed margin clean while it re-encrusts.