©Anne: A partly bleached colony of Acropora spathulata at MacGillivray Reef in Jan 2009. Identified by Zoe Richards, Nov 2017.
Colours
Distinguishing features
A corymbose species that forms small colonies up to about 1m in breadth. The branchlets are a similar length, and the axial polyp is relatively distinct, with a similar colouration to the rest of the colony. The radial corallites are all similar in size, and have a distinctive flared lip, giving the branches a scaly appearance. Most specimens are orange to light brown in colour, but rare colonies have a distinct blue-purple colouration.
Size
- Up to 100 cm (Colony breadth) - applies to Colonies
Synonyms
Similar taxa
-
Animalia:
species: Acropora millepora
Acropora spathulata has considerably thicker branches than Acropora millepora, especially at the base, and its scalloped radial corallites are more pronounced. (ReefBuilder) -
Animalia:
species: Acropora millepora
has finer (~1 cm), more closely compacted branches and more obvious axials (contributed by Zoe Richards).
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.
- Alvarez-Noriega, M., A.H. Baird,2, M. Dornelas, J.S. Madin, V.R. Cumbo, and S.R. Connolly (2016). Fecundity and the demographic strategies of coral morphologies, Ecology, 97(12): 3485-3493. LIRS catalog number 2048.
- Alvarez-Noriega, M., A.H. Baird, M. Dornelas, J.S. Madin and S.R. Connolly (2018). Negligible effect of competition on coral colony growth. Ecology, 99 (6): 1347-1356. LIRS catalog number 2239.
- View all references