species: Acropora millepora in Lizard Island area: all known taxa (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Acropora millepora


©Andy Lewis: A colony of Acropora millepora at Watson's Bay showing the common orange colouration

©Andy Lewis: Macro image of Acropora millepora showing the typical form of the Axial and radial corallites

©Andy Lewis: Colour variation in two colonies of Acropora millepora at Lizard Island
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Family Acroporidae
Genus Acropora
Species Acropora millepora
Status near threatened

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

  • Size data has not been obtained.

Synonyms

Similar taxa

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, 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.
  • Babcock, R.C., G.D. Bull, P.L. Harrison, A.J. Heyward, J.K. Oliver, C.C. Wallace and B.L. Willis (1986). Synchronous spawnings of 105 scleractinian coral species on the Great Barrier Reef, Marine Biology, 90: 379-394. LIRS catalog number 300.
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