Acroporidae

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Acroporidae
Temporal range: Jurassic - recent[1]
Acropora secale, the corallites can be seen at the end of the branches.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Scleractinia
Suborder: Astrocoeiina
Family: Acroporidae
Verrill, 1902[2]
Genera[2]

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.[3] They are commonly known as staghorn corals and are grown in aquaria by reef hobbyists.[4]

Description

Staghorn corals are the dominant group of

septa in two cycles.[3]

Distribution

Anacropora, Astreopora and Montipora are found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean. Acropora is cosmopolitan and is both common and conspicuous, usually being dominant in Indo-Pacific reefs.[3] Enigmopora is represented by a single new species, Enigmopora darveliensis,[5] found in Malaysia and the Philippines.[6]

Biology

Staghorn corals are hermaphrodites. They are mostly broadcast-spawners and some species have been involved in annual synchronous mass-spawning events on the Great Barrier Reef and in Japanese and Indonesian waters. Some species undergo fragmentation, a form of asexual reproduction, and this sometimes results in reefs composed of a single species.[3]

References

  1. ISSN 0722-4028
    .
  2. ^ a b Hoeksema, B. (2013). "Acroporidae". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "Classification of Scleractinian (Stony) Corals". Archived from the original on 2011-12-06. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
  4. ^ a b Quintessential Small Polyped Stony Corals, the Staghorns, Family Acroporidae
  5. ^ van der Land, Jacob (2010). "Enigmopora". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  6. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T132912A3490281.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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