Acropora nasuta
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Cnidaria
Class
Anthozoa
Order
Scleractinia
Family
Acroporidae
Genus
Acropora
Species
Acropora nasuta
Distinguishing features
A corymbose species that forms small colonies up to about 1m in breadth. The branchlets are elongate and taper towards the tip. The axial polyp is tubular and distinct, often with a different colouration to the rest of the colony. The radial corallites are usually arranged in neat rows. Most specimens are pale brown with blue branch tips.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Protected shallow back reef, lagoonal, and reef flat habitats.
Abundant in shallow habitats around Lizard Island.
Behaviour
Like most Acroporidae, this species is a hermaphrodite broadcast spawner, releasing gametes shortly after dark in the few days after the full moon in the warmer months between November and February.
Web resources
References
- Abrego, D., M.J.H. Van Oppen and B.L. Willis (2009). Onset of algal endosymbiont specificity varies among closely related species of Acropora corals during early ontogeny, Molecular Ecology, 18: 3532-3543.
- Baird, A.H., J.R. Guest and B.L. Willis (2009). Systematic and biogeographical patterns in the reproductive biology of scleractinian corals, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 40: 551-571.
- Hoogenboom, M.O. and S.R. Connolly (2009). Defining fundamental niche dimensions of corals: synergistic effects of colony size, light, and flow, Ecology, 90(3): 767-780.
- View all references