831 species

Acropora bifurcata

Nemenzo, 1971

Acropora

Oken, 1815

Characters: Colonies are wide flat plates and tables. Branches are thin, finely structured and widely spaced forming a delicate lattice network. Branchlets are fine and strongly inclined on the plate surface. Axial and incipient axial corallites are indistinguishable. Radial corallites are cup-shaped and are not arranged in rosettes.

Colour: Pale branches with darker corallites.

Similar Species: Acropora cytherea, which has more compact branches and more upright branchlets. See also A. hyacinthus, which has thicker and more compact branches and radial corallites arranged in a rosette.

Habitat: Upper reef slopes.

Abundance: Uncommon.

Taxonomic Note: Readily recognised in the field but not in collections. Wallace (1999) considered this species to be a potential junior synonym of Acropora hyacinthus. However, it is closer to A. cytherea in the typical, single-tiered tabular colony-form.

Taxonomic References: Nemenzo (1971); Veron (2000a);

Identification Guides: Turak and DeVantier (2011b);

COTW History since Veron (2000a)
  • Family: All families are currently under review
  • Genus/species: No change