''Acropora rudis'' 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 ...

found in the Indo-Pacific region. It is an uncommon species and is classified by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

because it is particularly susceptible to

coral bleaching Coral bleaching is the process when corals become white due to various stressors, such as changes in temperature, light, or nutrients. Bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel the zooxanthellae (dinoflagellates that are commonly referred to as alg ...

, coral diseases, damage by the

crown-of-thorns starfish 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 spine ...

and destruction of its coral reef habitat.

Description

''Acropora rudis'' is a

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

stagshorn coral forming clumps up to a metre (yard) across. The branches are tapering, irregular and robust, up to in diameter; some extend upwards, others are horizontal, and some turn downwards near the tips. The branches are up to in length. At the ends of the branches, the axial

corallite A corallite is the skeletal cup, formed by an individual stony coral polyp, in which the polyp sits and into which it can retract. The cup is composed of aragonite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, and is secreted by the polyp. Corallit ...

s, the stony cups in which the polyps sit, are very large. The radial corallites at the sides of the branches are smaller, close together, rounded and tubular, or tubular-conical. The colour of this coral varies, sometimes being dark green and other times being brown.

Distribution and habitat

''Acropora rudis'' is native to the northern Indian Ocean where it has a patchy distribution in Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Bangladesh, Thailand and western Sumatra. It occurs on rocky fringing reefs, the edges of shallow reefs and the upper parts of submerged reefs, at depths between about .

Status

Corals in the genus ''

Acropora ''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 r ...

'' are particularly prone to bleaching and coral disease and when they have been damaged, are slow to recover; they are also affected when the reefs where they grow are destroyed by storms or trawling, and by

ocean warming In oceanography and climatology, ocean heat content (OHC) is a term for the energy absorbed by the ocean, where it is stored for indefinite time periods as internal energy or enthalpy. The rise in OHC accounts for over 90% of Earth’s excess the ...

and

acidification Acidification may refer to: * Ocean acidification, decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans * Freshwater acidification, atmospheric depositions and soil leaching of SOx and NOx * Soil acidification, buildup of hydrogen cations, which reduces the ...

. ''Acropora rudis'' is an uncommon species with a somewhat limited range and

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

is predicted to reduce populations considerably. Because of these threats, the

has rated the conservation status of this coral as "

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3939905 Acropora Corals described in 1892