WoRMS taxon details
Acropora formosa (Dana, 1846)
AphiaID: 207036
AphiaID: 207036
| Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Cnidaria (Phylum) > Anthozoa (Class) > Hexacorallia (Subclass) > Scleractinia (Order) > Acroporidae (Family) > Acropora (Genus) |
| Status | accepted | |||||||||||||
| Record status | Edited by Database Management Team | |||||||||||||
| Rank | Species | |||||||||||||
| Parent | Acropora Oken, 1815 | |||||||||||||
| Synonymised taxa |
Acropora arbuscula (Dana) | |||||||||||||
| Sources |
basis of record: Veron, J.E.N. (1986). Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. Angus & Robertson Publishers, London. [details] basis of record: Sheppard, C.R.C. (1987). Coral species of the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas: a synonymised compilation and some regional distribution patterns. Atoll Research Bulletin Nr 307 [details] additional source: S.D.Cairns, B.W. Hoeksema & J. van der Land, update Oct. 2007, as a contribution to UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (look up in IMIS) [details] | |||||||||||||
| Environment | marine, | |||||||||||||
| Distribution | Chagos [details] East Africa [details] Madagascar (from synonym) [details] [view taxon] Mauritius [details] Mozambique [details] Red Sea [details] Rodriguez [details] Seychelles [details] Somalia [details] | |||||||||||||
| Host of |
Asteropontius laccadivensis Nair & Pillai, 1984 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Ecphysarion lobophorum (Humes & Ho, 1968) (parasitic: ectoparasitic) Scyphuliger tenuatus (Humes, 1990) (parasitic: ectoparasitic) Xarifia basilica Humes, 1985 (parasitic: ectoparasitic) Xarifia bullifera Humes, 1985 (parasitic: ectoparasitic) Xarifia bullifera Humes, 1985 (parasitic: endoparasitic) | |||||||||||||
| Links | To Barcode of Life (1 barcode) To Biodiversity Heritage Library (23 publications) To Encyclopedia of Life To GenBank (30 nucleotides; 25 proteins) To IUCN Red List To USNM Invertebrate Zoology Cnidaria Collection To ITIS | |||||||||||||
| Notes |
Biology: zooxanthellate [details] Description: This species forms extensive thickets like Acropora horrida, and can extend across many square metres of loose and sandy substrate. Branch surfaces are even and fairly regular. Radial corallites are not ragged; they are tubular and may occur in two sizes. Tentacles are not seen during the daytime. Acropora formosa is mainly found in shallow, lagoonal areas without strong wave action (Sheppard, 1998). Colonies are arborescent, usually forming thickets. Radial corallites may be similar or varied in size, and uniformly or erratically distributed. Colour: usually cream, brown or blue, usually with pale branch ends. Abundance: very common and frequently the dominant species of lagoons and some fringing reef (Veron, 1986). Forms dense thickets up to 1.5 m high, easily broken by anchors and storms. It is conspicuous and fast-growing (branches may extend 2-6 cm per year) and clearly demonstrates the staghorn shape of may Acropora species. Colour: usually dark grey or brown, with pale pink, purple or blue growing tips. Habitat: maybe dominant in lagoons and sheltered reefs with substantial water movement (Richmond, 1997). [details] Distribution: Central Indo-Pacific to Japan [details] Type locality: Type locality: Fiji and Sulu Sea (Veron, 1986). [details] | |||||||||||||
| Images |
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| LSID | urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:207036 | |||||||||||||
| Taxonomic Edit history |
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[Taxonomic tree] [Distribution map] [Google] [Google scholar] [Google images] | ||||||||||||||
| Citation: WoRMS (2013). Acropora formosa (Dana, 1846). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=207036 on 2013-05-26 | ||||||||||||||
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