''Acropora dendrum'' 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 Bassett-Smith in 1890. Found in tropical, shallow reefs in areas of powerful waves at depths of , it is threatened by disease. 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 not common but found over a large area, and is listed on CITES Appendix II.

Description

''Acropora dendrum'' occurs in corymbose structures which are wide, which become narrow at the ends and the corals have large gaps between other corals. The radial corallites are almost submerged into the branches, making them feel smooth. It has small axial corallites on the end of each branchlet. Its axial corallites have diameters of (outer) and (inner), and the branches can reach in length. It is cream of pale brown in colour, there are no similar-looking species, and it is rare. It is found in tropical, shallow reefs in areas that are exposed to powerful waves, and on the slopes of reefs, at depths of , and it reaches maturity at over eight years.

Distribution

''Acropora dendrum'' is found over a large area but is not common; the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...

, the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

, 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 ...

, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, Vanuatu, Samoa, and Tonga. It is found at temperatures of around , at a silicate concentration of 2.74 micromoles per litre, a nitrate concentration of 0.35 micromoles per litre, and at a salinity of 35.51 PSU. The species 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 P.W. Bassett-Smith in 1890 in the South China Sea as ''Acropora dendrum''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3936398 Acropora Animals described in 1890 Vulnerable animals