''Acropora papillare'' 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 Latypov in 1992. Found in marine, tropical, shallow reefs in areas exposed to waves, it occurs at depths of between . It is classed 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 has a decreasing population. It is uncommon but found over a large area, including in three regions of Indonesia, and is classified under CITES Appendix II.

Description

''Acropora papillare'' is found in colonies composed of clump-like structures, and curved branches. Branches grow up to long and are between in diameter. The species is blue or brown in colour, and the branches contain axial corallites and radial corallites. The axial corallites, located at the end of the branches, are small (outer diameters of up to 3.4 mm) and the polyp-covering cup is thick. Radial corallites are uniform in size and have conspicuous lips. Its features make it look similar to three other ''Acropora species'', '' A. abrotanoides'', '' A. aspera'', and '' A. robusta''. Found in regions prone to strong waves, this species occurs in a marine environment in tropical, shallow reefs. It occurs on the flats of reefs and also in very shallow reefs, and is found at depths between .

Distribution

''Acropora papillare'' is uncommon and found over a large area; Australia, Japan, three regions of Indonesia, the Indo-Pacific, the East China Sea, and Southeast Asia. Native to Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, the Cocos Islands, and the Philippines. he population of the species is known to be decreasing. It is threatened by climate change, coral disease, rising sea temperatures leading to bleaching, reef destruction, being prey to ''Acanthaster planci'', and human activity. It is rated as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, is listed CITES Appendix II, and could occur within Marine Protected Areas.

Taxonomy

It was first described by Y. Y. Latypov in 1992 as ''Acropora papillare'' in Vietnam.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16481221 Acropora Animals described in 1992 Vulnerable animals