''Acropora tenella'' 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 occurs on lower slopes of reefs at depths of .

Taxonomy

It was described by Brook in 1892 as ''Madrepora tenella''. It is also known under its synonym of ''Acropora eibli'', which it was described under by Pillai and Scheer in 1976.

Description

It occurs in colonies with plate-like structures arranged horizontally. Its branches are flattened and often diverge; they often contain broad central ridges. Its axial corallites are distinct; it has radial corallites that are distinct and are laterally present on some older branches but are generally placed irregularly over the branches. The coral is cream in colour and its branches have either blue or white ends.

Distribution

It is classified as a vulnerable 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 is believed that its population is decreasing in line with the global decline of coral reefs; the species is also listed under Appendix II of CITES. Figures of the population of ''A. tenella'' 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 and disease. It occurs in the central Indo-Pacific, southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic western Pacific Ocean. The species is found at depths of between on the lower slopes of reefs.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3947485 Acropora Cnidarians of the Indian Ocean Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Fauna of Oceania Fauna of East Asia Marine fauna of Asia Vulnerable animals Vulnerable fauna of Asia Vulnerable fauna of Oceania Corals described in 1892