''Acropora caroliniana'' is a species of acroporid

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

that was first described by Nemenzo in 1976. Found in tropical, shallow reef slopes, it occurs at depths of in a marine environment. The species is rated as vulnerable on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

, with a decreasing population. It is rare, but has been found over a large area, and two-thirds of the regions of Indonesia.

Description

''Acropora caroliniana'' species form in thick horizontal structures, made of flat branches. It is light green, pale blue or white-brown in colour, and are also found on small branchlets. These have large axial corallites with diameters up to which become narrow at the ends, and curve upwards. The species' radial corallites are small and "pocket-like". It looks similar to ''

Acropora lokani ''Acropora lokani'' is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by C. C. Wallace in 1994. Found in marine, shallow reefs and sheltered lagoons, it occurs at depths between . It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and is ...

'' and ''

Acropora loripes ''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. Description ''Acropora loripes'' is a branch ...

''. It is found on the upper slopes of tropical, shallow reefs, at depths of between , and reaches maturity at over eight years. The species is found at temperatures of . Colonies have diameters of up to and branchlets can reach lengths of and widths of .

Distribution

''Acropora caroliniana'' is uncommon but found over a large area; Australia, western Pacific, the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

, Pohnpei, and Fiji in marine habitats. It occurs in two-thirds of the regions of Indonesia and also in Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by the global reduction of coral reefs, the increase of temperature causing bleaching, disease, coral harvesting, climate change, fishing, human development, pollution, and being prey to starfish ''

Acanthaster planci The crown-of-thorns starfish (frequently abbreviated to COTS), ''Acanthaster planci'', is a large starfish that preys upon hard, or stony, coral polyps (Scleractinia). The crown-of-thorns starfish receives its name from venomous thorn-like spines ...

''. It is sometimes found in Marine Protected Areas. It is listed as a

vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened species, threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatened species, ...

on the

as the population is decreasing, and is listed under Appendix II of CITES.

Taxonomy

It was first described by F. Nemenzo in 1976 in the Philippines as ''Acropora caroliniana''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3946786 Acropora Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Cnidarians of the Indian Ocean Fauna of the Red Sea Marine fauna of Asia Marine fauna of Oceania Marine fauna of Southeast Asia Marine fauna of Western Asia Vulnerable fauna of Asia Vulnerable fauna of Oceania Animals described in 1976