''Acropora awi'' 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
described by
Wallace
Wallace may refer to:
People
* Clan Wallace in Scotland
* Wallace (given name)
* Wallace (surname)
* Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back
* Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...
and Wolstenholme in 1998. Found in
fringing reef
A fringing reef is one of the three main types of coral reef. It is distinguished from the other main types, barrier reefs and atolls, in that it has either an entirely shallow backreef zone (lagoon) or none at all. If a fringing reef grows direc ...
s, the slopes of shallow reefs, and sandy slopes, it occurs in a marine environment. The species is rated as
vulnerable 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 ...
, with a decreasing population, and is easily damaged. It can be found over a large area but is not abundant.
Description
''Acropora awi'' is found in colonies with a structure resembling
bottlebrush shrubs, leading to many branches occurring in dense areas, but are mostly obvious and long.
The species can be grey-brown or pink-brown in colour, and the branches are tightly packed.
The axial corallites (on top of the branches) are long and fuse with some radial corallites (on the side of branches). However, there are some smaller radial corallites, which are described as being "pocket-shaped"
with diameters of below 1mm.
The species is similar to ''
Acropora echinata
''Acropora echinata'' is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by Dana in 1846. Found in shallow, tropical, sheltered reefs in marine environments, it is found at depths of in clear water. The species is listed as vulnerable on ...
'' and ''
Acropora navini'',
and is found in
fringing reef
A fringing reef is one of the three main types of coral reef. It is distinguished from the other main types, barrier reefs and atolls, in that it has either an entirely shallow backreef zone (lagoon) or none at all. If a fringing reef grows direc ...
s, the slopes of shallow reefs, and sandy slopes.
It grows to a size of .
Distribution
''Acropora awi'' is found over a large range; the
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 ...
, Japan, Pohnpei, 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 ...
, Micronesia, and Southeast Asia, and the Solomon Islands. The species is present in two-thirds of the regions of Indonesia, and was also found in the Marshall Islands, but there is no known population for it.
It lives in marine habitats in reefs.
The species is easily damaged and has a poor resistance to disease and pathogens.
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 ...
as the population is decreasing, and is listed under Appendix II of CITES.
The species is threatened by the global reduction of coral reefs, the increase of temperature causing bleaching, disease, and being prey to the ''
Acanthaster planci
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 spines ...
'', as well as its vulnerability to damage.
Some of the species is within Marine Protected Areas.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by Wallace and Wolstenholme in 1998 as ''Acropora awi''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3938594
Acropora
Cnidarians of the Indian Ocean
Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean
Marine fauna of Asia
Marine fauna of Oceania
Marine fauna of Southeast Asia
Vulnerable fauna of Asia
Vulnerable fauna of Oceania
Animals described in 1998