Fig. 2

Overview of Cinctipora elegans from microCT images of the skeletal parts (white) and the soft-body party stained with phosphotungstic acid (reddish-brown). a Volume rendering of the skeleton of a part of a colony showing the mineralized skeleton of several zooids. Several interzooidal communication pores are evident on the skeletal walls. Some apertures are closed by calcareous diaphragms. b Longitudinal section through a volume rendering of the mineralized skeleton showing zooidal arrangement and open vs. closed apertures. c Longitudinal section through a volume rendering of the skeleton including polypides showing the relative position of the polypides within the skeleton. This rendering shows that the attachment organ typically lies more than 500 μm proximally of the open skeletal aperture. d Volume rendering of the polypide of a single zooid. Abbreviations: cae – caecum, ecm – thick extracellular matrix of the attachment organ, f – funiculus, int – intestine, l – lophophore, lb – lophophoral base, oa – open aperture, py – pylorus, rm – retractor muscle, td – terminal diaphragm