''Anacropora'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of stony corals in the

Acroporidae 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 ...

family. They are sometimes called briar corals and there are seven known

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

Description

Members of this genus are generally fragile corals with branches less than ten centimetres long which form small colonies. The branches are either spreading or may be clustered and are sometimes fused together. The calices are rounded and up to one millimetre in diameter. The area between the calices is porous with numerous small tubercles. There are no axial

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 and the main

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates transit bus, bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people ...

number six with a few more subsidiary ones. The small radial corallites have an ‘empty’ appearance similar to ''

Montipora ''Montipora'' is a genus of Scleractinian corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of the genus ''Montipora'' may exhibit many different growth morphologies. With eighty five known species, ''Montipora'' is the second most species rich coral ge ...

''. The delicate tentacles can often be seen extended during the day.

Distribution

Members of this genus occur in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

and the western

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

being found mostly in muddy waters. They are generally uncommon and are not a

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic processes—deposition (geology), deposition of ...

species.

Species

*''

Anacropora forbesi ''Anacropora forbesi'' is a species of briar coral that can be found in the tropical western and central Indo-Pacific region. It is the type species of the genus '' Anacropora''. Description ''Anacropora forbesi'' is a small coral, branching di ...

'' - Ridley, 1884 *''

Anacropora matthai ''Anacropora matthai'' is a species of briar coral in the family Acroporidae. This species is found in the Central Indo-Pacific in waters off Solomons, Japan, East China Sea, Eastern Australia, Fiji, Palau, and Pohnpei in shallow tropical reef ...

'' - Pillai, 1973 *''

Anacropora pillai ''Anacropora'' is a genus of stony corals in the Acroporidae family. They are sometimes called briar corals and there are seven known species. Description Members of this genus are generally fragile corals with branches less than ten centimetres ...

'' - Veron, 2002 *''

Anacropora puertogalerae ''Anacropora puertogalerae'' is a species of briar coral that can be found in the central Indo-Pacific, Japan, the East China Sea, eastern Australia, the oceanic west Pacific Ocean, the Philippines and the Maldives. It is also found in the Andam ...

'' - Nemenzo, 1964 *''

Anacropora reticulata ''Anacropora'' is a genus of stony corals in the Acroporidae family. They are sometimes called briar corals and there are seven known species. Description Members of this genus are generally fragile corals with branches less than ten centimetres ...

'' - Veron and Wallace, 1984 *''

Anacropora spinosa ''Anacropora spinosa'' is a species of briar coral that can be found in the central Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asia, the Solomon Islands, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic west Pacific Ocean. It is also found in Rodrigues and the Andama ...

'' - Rehberg, 1892 *''

Anacropora spumosa ''Anacropora'' is a genus of stony corals in the Acroporidae family. They are sometimes called briar corals and there are seven known species. Description Members of this genus are generally fragile corals with branches less than ten centimetres ...

'' - Veron, Turak & DeVantier, 2002

References

Acroporidae Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Fauna of the Indian Ocean Marine fauna of Asia Marine fauna of Oceania Scleractinia genera {{scleractinia-stub