''Acropora vaughani'' is a species of

acroporid Acroporidae is a family of small polyped stony corals in the phylum Cnidaria. The name is derived from the Greek ''"akron"'' meaning "summit" and refers to the presence of a corallite at the tip of each branch of coral. They are commonly known a ...

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 secre ...

found in the northern Indian Ocean, 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 ...

, Australia, southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic western and central Pacific Ocean. It is also found in Madagascar. It occurs in tropical shallow reefs around fringing reefs in turbid water, at depths of between . It was described by J. W. Wells in 1954.

Taxonomy

''Acropora vaughani'' was described by J. W. Wells in 1954.

Description

It is found in open branched colonies that sometimes have appearances of bushes, which is provided by the presence of short branchlets. A large number of incipient axial corallites are present, and it has well-spaced radial corallites of varying lengths. It has a fine coenosteum. It is cream, pale blue, or brown in colour and looks similar to ''

Acropora rufus ''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 coral ...

''.

Distribution

It is classed 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; the species is also 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 northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic western and central Pacific Ocean. It is found at depths of between in tropical shallow reefs around fringing reefs in turbid waters.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3946196 Acropora Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Fauna of the Indian Ocean Marine fauna of Asia Marine fauna of Oceania Vulnerable fauna of Asia Vulnerable fauna of Oceania Animals described in 1954