Acropora loripes

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Acropora loripes
Dascyllus reticulatus (Reticulated dascyllus) in Acropora loripa (Hard coral).jpg
Two stripe damselfish swimming among the branches of Acropora loripes
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Acroporidae
Genus: Acropora
Species:
A. loripes
Binomial name
Acropora loripes
(Brook, 1892) [2]
Synonyms
  • Acropora murrayensis(Vaughan, 1918)
  • Acropora rosaria(Dana, 1846)
  • Madrepora loripesBrook, 1892
  • Madrepora murrayensisVaughan, 1918
  • Madrepora rosariaDana, 1846

Acropora loripes is a species of branching colonial stony coral. It is common on reefs, upper reef slopes and reef flats in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Its type locality is the Great Barrier Reef. [2]

Contents

Description

Acropora loripes is a branching colonial coral with a variety of growth forms, forming heads or plate-like layers and sometimes having stalks and resembling bottlebrushes. [2] The branchlets are 5 to 12 mm (0.2 to 0.5 in) wide and up to 45 millimetres (1.8 in) in length. They sometimes have naked tips but below these, the axial corallites are about 3 millimetres (0.12 in) in diameter and the large radial corallites are tubular and crowded together so that they often touch each other. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Acropora loripes is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from the Red Sea to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia. [3] It occurs subtidally at depths between 5 and 25 metres (16 and 82 ft) in various habitats including upper reef slopes and reef flats. [1]

Biology

The skeleton of Acropora loripes is secreted by the polyps and is covered by a thin layer of tissue. When feeding, the polyps protrude from the corallites. Each has twelve tentacles, one of which is longer than the others. The interior of the polyps opens into a body cavity which interconnects with other polyps through a system of channels called the coenenchyme. This is a zooxanthellate species of coral [2] and has symbiotic dinoflagellates living within its tissues. These are photosynthetic and provide much of the energy used by the coral. In combination with pigments in the tissue, they are responsible for the yellowish-brown colour of the colony. [3]

Acropora loripes is a hermaphrodite and the different colonies in an area synchronise their breeding activity. In the Great Barrier Reef, mature individuals liberate eggs and sperm into the sea five or six days after the full moon in November and December. [3] Fertilisation is external and the larvae form part of the plankton until settling on the seabed. Here they undergo metamorphosis and new colonies are founded. [3]

Conservation

Acropora loripes is threatened more by damage to the reefs where it lives rather than specific threats to this coral. Like other members of its genus it is susceptible to bleaching and several coral diseases, and is particularly favoured as part of its diet by the crown-of-thorns starfish which feeds on the external tissue and polyps. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists it as being "Near threatened". [1]

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Acropora kimbeensis is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by Dr. Carden Wallace in 1999. Found in marine, tropical, shallow reefs usually at depths of 3 to 12 m, but can occur as low as 15 m (49 ft). It is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, and it is thought to have a decreasing population. It is not common and found over a large area, and is listed on CITES Appendix II.

Acropora papillare is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by Latypov in 1992. Found in marine, tropical, shallow reefs in areas exposed to waves, it occurs at depths of between 1 and 5 m. It is classed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, and it has a decreasing population. It is uncommon but found over a large area, including in three regions of Indonesia, and is classified under CITES Appendix II.

Acropora pharaonis is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by Milne-Edwards and Haime in 1860. Found in marine, tropical, reefs on slopes sheltered from wave action, it occurs at depths of between 5 and 25 m. It is classed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, and it has a decreasing population. It is common and found over a large area and is classified under CITES Appendix II.

<i>Acropora polystoma</i> Species of coral

Acropora polystoma is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by G. Brook in 1891. Found in marine, tropical, reefs on upper slopes where waves are strong, it occurs at depths between 3 and 10 m. It is classed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, and it has a decreasing population. It is not common and found over a large area and is classified under CITES Appendix II.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Richards, Z.T.; Delbeek, J.T.; Lovell, E.R.; Bass, D.; Aeby, G.; Reboton, C. (2014). "Acropora loripes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T132976A54169590. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T132976A54169590.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 van der Land, Jacob (2013). "Acropora loripes (Brook, 1892)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Wallace, Carden (1999). Staghorn Corals of the World: A Revision of the Genus Acropora. Csiro Publishing. ISBN   0643102817.
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