Staghorn coral
Acropora cervicornis
(Lamarck, 1816)

Description:
Colonies loosely branching, all branches circular in cross section. (A. cervicornis overview). Each branch with one axial corallite and numerous smaller radial corallites. Height of the colony varying from some centimeters to more than a meter. Branches between 1 and 3 cm thick.

Color:
Color of living colony light, grayish to yellowish-brown.

Corallites:
Corallites are porous protruding tubes, less than 5 mm long and 0.8-1.0 mm in diameter. The corallites are densely packed, with 2-3 mm between the corallites. A columella is absent.

Habitat:
On the reef in the upper 10 meters, but beneath the reach of waves. Not in inner bays.

Distribution:
Abundant to common Bahamas and Caribbean; occasional to uncommon in South Florida.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Genus Acropora
Species Acropora cervicornis

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Acropora cervicornis (Lamarck, 1816)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Staghorn coral [English]
Hertshoornkoraal [Dutch]
Geweikoraal [Dutch]
Acropore bois-de-cerf [French]
Corail corne-de-cerf [French]
Hirschgewei-Koralle [German]
Koral kachu di biná [Papiamentu]

Humann, P., 1993. Reef Coral Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas, (ed. N. Deloach). New World Publications, Inc., Paramount Miller Graphics, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida.

Roos, P.J., 1964. The distribution of reef corals in Curacao. Stud. Fauna Curacao, 20: 1-51.

Roos, P.J., 1971. The shallow-water stony corals of the Netherlands Antilles. Studies on the fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean islands, 130.

Voss, G.L., 1976. Seashore life of Florida and the Carribbean. Banyan Books, Inc. Miami, Florida.

You can continue searching for Acropora cervicornis on one of these Web sites:

Fauna Europaea (animals) | IOPI (plants) | NCBI (genetic)

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