Borers and Grazers

Boreing organisms can be found in every piece of rock broken from the reef. Predominant among these are the rock boring clams, Lithophaga nigra, and Spenglaria rostrada, several species of Polychaetes, endolithic algae and boring sponges Cliona and Spiponodicyon. The spiny sea urchin Diadema antillarum grazes the reef surface. The parrot fish Sparisoma virde and S. abillgardi as well as other fish also graze the surface flora, ingest sand from the valleys and occasionally take bites of hard coral and coralline algae.