Acropora lovelli

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Acropora lovelli
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Acroporidae
Genus: Acropora
Species:
A. lovelli
Binomial name
Acropora lovelli
Veron & Wallas, 1984 [2]

Acropora lovelli is a species of acroporid coral found in the northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia and the oceanic west Pacific Ocean. It can also be found in Palau and the southern Mariana Islands, the Red Sea, Mauritius, Tuha'a Pae, the Pitcairn Islands and Rodrigues. It occurs in shallow tropical reefs, in shallow protected lagoons and at lagoon entrances, to depths from 1–10 m.

Contents

Description

Colonies of Acropora lovelli have a branching structure and may be bluish-white with blue tips to the stubby side branches. It has been grown in mariculture. [3]

Biology

Acropora lovelli is a zooxanthellate species of coral. [2] It obtains most of its nutritional needs from the symbiotic dinoflagellates that live inside its soft tissues. These photosynthetic organisms provide the coral with organic carbon and nitrogen, sometimes providing up to 90% of their host's energy needs for metabolism and growth. Its remaining needs are met by the planktonic organisms caught by the tentacles of the polyps. [4]

Status

Acropora lovelli is an uncommon species with a patchy distribution. It is particularly susceptible to coral bleaching and to coral diseases, as well as being prone to attack by the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci). The main threats faced by corals are related to climate change; the mechanical destruction of their coral reef habitats, increasing damage from extreme weather events, rising sea water temperatures and ocean acidification. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the conservation status of this species as being "vulnerable". All corals receive protection by being listed on CITES Appendix II. [1]

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

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

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

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

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

Acropora palmerae is a species of acroporid coral found in the northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic west Pacific Ocean. It is also found in Palau and the Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the Andaman Islands, the Great Barrier Reef, Okinawa Island, Mauritius, Micronesia, the Cook Islands and the Philippines. It occurs in tropical shallow reefs on flats exposed the action of strong waves and in lagoons, from depths of 0 to 12 metres. It was described by Wells in 1954.

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

Acropora robusta is a species of acroporid coral found in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the southwest and northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic west and central Pacific Ocean. It occurs in tropical shallow reefs, mainly along margins that are exposed to the action of strong waves, and can be found at depths from 1 to 8 metres. It was described by Dana in 1846.

Acropora striata is a species of acroporid coral found in the southwest Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Japan and the East China Sea. It can also be found in the Marshall Islands, the Society Islands, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, western and eastern Australia, the Great Barrier Reef, Palau, the south Mariana Islands and Pohnpei. It occurs in tropical shallow reefs on reef flats or rocky foreshores, at depths of 10 to 25 metres. It probably spawns in October and was described by Verrill in 1866.

Acropora subglabra is a species of acroporid coral found in the northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic west Pacific Ocean. It occurs in tropical shallow reefs, and its range is often restricted to sheltered back reefs containing soft substrates and clear water. It can be found from depths of 5 to 15 metres and was described by Brook in 1891.

Acropora teres is a species of acroporid coral found in the central Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic western Pacific Ocean. It is found in tropical shallow reefs on slopes and in lagoons, at depths of between 2 and 20 metres. The taxonomic status of this species is uncertain. It was described as Madrepora teres by Verrill in 1866.

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

Acropora valida is a species of acroporid coral found in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the southwestern, northwestern and northern Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea, the oceanic western, central and far eastern Pacific Ocean, the northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll. It occurs in tropical shallow reefs in a variety of reef habitats, at depths of 1 to 15 metres.

Branch coral Species of coral

The branch coral is a species of acroporid coral found in the southwest and northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan and the East China Sea, Cook Islands and the oceanic west Pacific Ocean. It can be found in shallow reefs on the reef tops, walls and slopes to depths of 30 m.

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

Acropora humilis, also known as finger coral, is a species of acroporid coral found in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, the northern and southwestern Indian Ocean, Australia, the central Indo-Pacific, Japan, southeast Asia, the East China Sea, the central and western Pacific Ocean, the Johnston Atoll and the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It also occurs in the Raja Ampat Islands, Mariana Islands, Palau, and the Pitcairn Islands. Occurring in tropical shallow reefs on upper reef flats and slopes at depths of up to 12 metres (39 ft), it was described by Dana in 1846.

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

Acropora echinata is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by Dana in 1846. Found in shallow, tropical, sheltered reefs in marine environments, it is found at depths of 8 to 25 m in clear water. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and has a decreasing population. It is not common but found over a large area, and is listed under CITES Appendix II.

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

Acropora horrida is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by James Dwight Dana in 1846. Found in tropical, shallow reefs in marine environments, it occurs near fringing reefs around turbid water, at depths of 5 to 20 m. 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 under CITES Appendix II.

Acropora loisetteae is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by C. C. Wallace in 1994. Found in marine, tropical, shallow reefs in sheltered lagoons, it is found at depths between 1 and 30 m. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and it is thought to have a decreasing population. It is not common but found over a large area, and is listed under CITES Appendix II.

Acropora multiacuta is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by F. Nemenzo in 1967. Found in marine, tropical shallow reefs in lagoons, on rocks or on the tops of reefs, it occurs at depths between 3 and 15 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 two regions of Indonesia and the Great Barrier Reef, and is classified under CITES Appendix II.

References

  1. 1 2 Richards, Z.T.; Delbeek, J.T.; Lovell, E.R.; Bass, D.; Aeby, G. & Reboton, C. (2014). "Acropora lovelli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T133327A54238095. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T133327A54238095.en .
  2. 1 2 Hoeksema, Bert (2015). "Acropora loveli Veron & Wallace, 1984". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  3. "Acropora lovely". Tropical Aqua World. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  4. Ruppert, Edward E.; Fox, Richard, S.; Barnes, Robert D. (2004). Invertebrate Zoology (7th ed.). Cengage Learning. p. 122. ISBN   978-81-315-0104-7.