''Acropora teres'' 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 central

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, Japan, 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 ...

and the oceanic western Pacific Ocean. It is found in tropical shallow reefs on slopes and in lagoons, at depths of between . The taxonomic status of this species is uncertain. It was described as ''Madrepora teres'' by Verrill in 1866.

Description

It occurs in arborescent colonies containing a number of twisted branches. Its branches sometimes divide and contain axial and radial corallites. The radial corallites are immersed in the branches and are small, and have circular openings. It has small axial corallites. The species is white in colour and has a similar appearance to ''

Acropora abrolhosensis ''Acropora abrolhosensis'' is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by John Veron in 1985. Found in sheltered lagoons and shallow reefs, it is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. The population of the species is ...

'' and ''

Acropora formosa ''Acropora muricata'', commonly called staghorn coral, is a species of acroporid coral found in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Australia, central Indo-Pacific, Japan, Southeast Asia, the East China Sea and the ocean ...

''.

Distribution

It is classed as a data deficient 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 ...

, but it is believed that its population is decreasing in line with the global decline of coral reefs, and it is listed under Appendix II of CITES. Figures of its population are unknown, but is likely to be threatened by the global reduction of coral reefs, the increase of temperature causing coral bleaching, climate change, human activity, the crown-of-thorns starfish (''Acanthaster planci'') and disease. It occurs in the central Indo-Pacific, southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic western Pacific Ocean. It is found at depths of between in tropical shallow reefs on slopes and in lagoons.

Taxonomy

It was described as ''Madrepora teres'' by Verrill in 1866. The taxonomic status of it is currently uncertain.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3953950 Acropora Corals described in 1866