''Pavona bipartita'', sometimes known as leaf coral, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of colonial stony coral in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Agariciidae The Agariciidae are a family of reef-building stony corals. This family includes cactus corals, plate corals, and lettuce corals. Members of the family include symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae in their tissues which help provide their energ ...

. It is found in shallow water, on reef slopes and on vertical surfaces, in tropical parts of the western and 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 ...

region.

Description

Colonies of ''Pavona bipartita'' are either submassive or encrusting, and can be a metre (yard) across. The

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 are shallow depressions with poorly defined walls. They are evenly distributed over the undulating surface of the colony, and there are a network of uneven raised ridges between them. The columella are small and the septacostae extend over the ridges and are arranged in two alternating orders. This coral is usually some shade of brown.

Distribution and habitat

''Pavona bipartita'' is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from East Africa and the Red Sea to Japan, the East China Sea, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. It is an uncommon species and occurs on reef slopes and vertical surfaces, at depths down to about .

Status

The conservation status of ''Pavona bipartita'' has been assessed 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 being " vulnerable". The population trend is unknown, but this coral is susceptible to

bleaching Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...

, and it is likely that the number of mature colonies is decreasing as a result of destruction of its reef habitats.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3942788 Agariciidae Animals described in 1980 Coral reefs