''Acropora kimbeensis'' 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 Dr.

Carden Wallace Carden Crea Wallace ( fl. 1970–) is an Australian scientist who was the curator/director of the Museum of Tropical Queensland from 1987 to 2003. She is an expert on corals having written a "revision of the Genus ''Acropora''". Wallace was ...

in 1999. Found in marine, tropical, shallow reefs usually at depths of , but can occur as low as . 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

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 ...

, and it is thought to have a decreasing population. It is not common and found over a large area, and is listed on CITES Appendix II.

Description

''Acropora kimbeensis'' is found in compact colonies in bush-like structures. It is yellow, blue, or cream in colour, and the branches are upward-facing, become thinner towards the ends, and are caespitosed. The branchlets contain small, obvious axial corallites, and the incipient axial corallites are spaced equally. Radial corallites are present up the sides of the branchlets, and each contains a small opening (below in size). It looks similar to ''

Acropora cerealis ''Acropora cerealis'' is a species of acroporid coral found throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans, from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the Hawaiian Islands and the Johnston Atoll. It can be found on upper reef slopes in shallow tropical ...

'' and ''

Acropora subulata ''Acropora'' is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum Cnidaria. Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral. Over 149 species are described. ''Acropora'' species are some of the major reef corals re ...

''. Branches are up to long. It is found in marine, tropical, shallow reefs on the upper slopes, usually at depths of between . It can also occur in lagoons, patch reefs, reef fronts, and reef flats, and can exist at depths as low as . It reaches maturity at between three and eight years, and lives for more than ten years.

Distribution

''Acropora kimbeensis'' is found over a large area but is uncommon; the Indo-Pacific, the East China Sea, west Pacific, Eastern Australia, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, Osprey Reef Coral Sea, Micronesia, and Pohnpei. It occurs in one region of Indonesia, and at two sites of the Marshall Islands. There is a lack of population data for the species, but it is known to be declining. In 2005, 1,282 live specimens were exported for use in aquariums. It is affected by bleaching by rising sea temperatures, coral disease, climate change, pollution, human development, fishing, infrastructure, and being exported. It is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List and is listed under CITES Appendix II, and can occur within Marine Protected Areas.

Taxonomy

It was first described by C. C. Wallace in 1999 as ''Acropora kimbeensis'' in the Indo-Pacific.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3942362 Acropora Animals described in 1999 Vulnerable animals