Acropora verweyi

Acropora verweyi
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Hexacorallia
Order:	Scleractinia
Family:	Acroporidae
Genus:	Acropora
Species:	A. verweyi
Binomial name
Acropora verweyi Veron & Wallace, 1984

Acropora verweyi is a species of acroporid coral found in the southwest and northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic western Pacific Ocean. It is also found in the Philippines, American Samoa, Fiji and Rodrigues. It occurs in tropical shallow reefs on upper slopes, from depths of 2 to 15 metres (6 ft 7 in to 49 ft 3 in).

Taxonomy

Acropora verweyi was described in 1984 by Veron and Carden Wallace.

Description

It is found in encrusted colonies arranged in cushion-, plate-shaped, or corymbose structures. Its branches are short and have diameters of seven to nine millimetres and contain very short branchlets growing near their bases. Its axial corallites are obvious and its radial corallites are appressed, tube-shaped, orderly arranged, and round. The species is a mostly a cream-brown colour and its axial corallites are yellow.

Distribution

It is classed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List and it is believed that its population is decreasing in line with the global decline in coral reefs; 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 and disease. It occurs in the southwest and northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and the oceanic western Pacific Ocean. It is found at depths of between 2 and 15 metres (6 ft 7 in and 49 ft 3 in) in tropical shallow reefs on upper slopes.