Anacropora

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Anacropora
Anacropora gracilis and Anacropora solida.jpg
Illustration of Anacropora gracilis and Anacropora solida
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Acroporidae
Genus: Anacropora
Ridley, 1884
Species
see text

Anacropora is a genus of stony corals in the Acroporidae family. They are sometimes called briar corals and there are seven known species.

Contents

Description

Members of this genus are generally fragile corals with branches less than ten centimetres long which form small colonies. The branches are either spreading or may be clustered and are sometimes fused together. The calices are rounded and up to one millimetre in diameter. The area between the calices is porous with numerous small tubercles. There are no axial corallites and the main septa number six with a few more subsidiary ones. [1] The small radial corallites have an ‘empty’ appearance similar to Montipora . The delicate tentacles can often be seen extended during the day. [2]

Distribution

Members of this genus occur in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific being found mostly in muddy waters. They are generally uncommon and are not a reef species. [1]

Species

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scleractinia</span> Order of Hexacorallia which produce a massive stony skeleton

Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a mouth is fringed with tentacles. Although some species are solitary, most are colonial. The founding polyp settles and starts to secrete calcium carbonate to protect its soft body. Solitary corals can be as much as 25 cm (10 in) across but in colonial species the polyps are usually only a few millimetres in diameter. These polyps reproduce asexually by budding, but remain attached to each other, forming a multi-polyp colony of clones with a common skeleton, which may be up to several metres in diameter or height according to species.

<i>Montipora</i> Genus of corals

Montipora is a genus of Scleractinian corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of the genus Montipora may exhibit many different growth morphologies. With eighty five known species, Montipora is the second most species rich coral genus after Acropora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acroporidae</span> Family of stony corals

Acroporidae is a family of small polyped stony corals in the phylum Cnidaria. The name is derived from the Greek "akron" meaning "summit" and refers to the presence of a corallite at the tip of each branch of coral. They are commonly known as staghorn corals and are grown in aquaria by reef hobbyists.

<i>Astreopora</i> Genus of corals

Astreopora is a genus of stony corals in the Acroporidae family. Members of the genus are commonly known as star corals and there are seventeen species currently recognized.

<i>Galaxea</i> Genus of corals

Galaxea is a genus of colonial stony corals in the family Euphylliidae. Common names include crystal, galaxy, starburst and tooth coral. They are abundant on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region and the Red Sea. They are found in water less than 20 metres (66 ft) deep and favour turbid sites. They are sometimes kept in reef aquaria.

<i>Montipora capitata</i> Species of coral

Montipora capitata, commonly known as rice coral or pore coral, is a stony coral in the family Acroporidae. It is a reef building species and is found in tropical parts of the Pacific Ocean.

<i>Pavona</i> (coral) Genus of corals

Pavona is a genus of colonial stony corals in the family Agariciidae. These corals are found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Isopora palifera</i> Species of coral

Isopora palifera is a species of stony coral in the family Acroporidae. It is a reef building coral living in shallow water and adopts different forms depending on the water conditions where it is situated. It is found in the Western Indo-Pacific Ocean as far east as Australia.

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

Acropora nasuta is a species of branching stony coral in the family Acroporidae. It is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific where it is found in shallow reef habitats. Like other corals of the genus Acropora, it is susceptible to coral bleaching and coral diseases and the IUCN has listed it as being "Near Threatened".

<i>Alveopora</i> Genus of corals

Alveopora is a genus of colonial stony corals in the family Acroporidae. Members of this genus are native to the Indo-Pacific region and are often found on reef slopes in turbid water. They are generally uncommon.

<i>Seriatopora</i> Genus of corals

Seriatopora is a genus of colonial stony corals in the family Pocilloporidae. They are commonly known as needle corals, birdsnest corals or finger corals. They are native to the Red Sea, the Indo-Pacific region and some parts of the Central Pacific Ocean.

Acropora abrolhosensis is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by John Veron in 1985. Found in sheltered lagoons and shallow reefs, it is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. The population of the species is decreasing, and most specimens are found in Western Australia, but occurs in many other areas. It is also listed under CITES Appendix II.

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

Acropora donei is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by J. Veron and Carden Wallace in 1984. Found in fringing reefs and the upper slopes of shallow reefs, it occurs at depths of 5 to 20 m. The species is rated as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with a decreasing population, and is affected by disease. It is not common but found over a large area, and is listed under CITES Appendix II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euphylliidae</span> Family of marine coral known as Euphylliidae

Euphylliidae are known as a family of polyped stony corals under the order Scleractinia.

<i>Montipora grisea</i> Species of coral

Montipora grisea is a small polyped stony coral in the family Acroporidae.

Acropora rudis is a species of acroporid coral found in the Indo-Pacific region. It is an uncommon species and is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered species because it is particularly susceptible to coral bleaching, coral diseases, damage by the crown-of-thorns starfish and destruction of its coral reef habitat.

<i>Pocillopora capitata</i> Species of coral

Pocillopora capitata, commonly known as the cauliflower coral, is a principal hermatypic coral found in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. P. capitata is a colonial species of stony coral of the class Anthozoa, the order Scleractinia, and the family Pocilloporidae. This species was first documented and described by Addison Emery Verrill in 1864. P. capitata is threatened by many of the effects of climate change, including — but not limited to — increased temperatures that cause bleaching and hypoxic conditions.

<i>Stylophora madagascarensis</i> Species of coral

Stylophora madagascarensis is a species of stony coral in the family Pocilloporidae. It is native to the tropical western Indian Ocean where it is confined to the coasts of Madagascar, growing in shallow water.

Anacropora matthai is a species of briar coral in the family Acroporidae. This species is found in the Central Indo-Pacific in waters off Solomons, Japan, East China Sea, Eastern Australia, Fiji, Palau, and Pohnpei in shallow tropical reef environments, in depths of 8 to 20 meters. The species is named after George Matthai.

Acropora arabensis is a species of acroporid coral native to the Indian Ocean and was originally described by Gregor Hodgson and Kent Carpenter in 1995. It is a locally common species usually found in upper reef slopes and lagoons, most commonly between 3 and 5 m depth. Like other species in the Acropora genus, it is susceptible to coral bleaching. It is classified as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN Red List and population numbers are currently decreasing.

References

  1. 1 2 "Scleractinian Coral Family, Acroporidae". biophysics.sbg.ac.at. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  2. Coral hub: Anacropora
  3. "Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 3 October 2019.