Acropora plumosa

Lore & Background

Acropora plumosa forms irregular flat table-like colonies, brown in color with pale branch tips. Some structures break away from main colonies or form irregular patterns. It sometimes occurs in plate structures linked from the center or sides, composed of branches and a small number of sub-branches. Branches occur around one central point and contain axial and radial corallites. Axial corallites are tube-shaped and small, located on branch and sub-branch tips; radial corallites are tube-shaped and well-spaced on the sides of branches and sub-branches. This species is similar to Acropora clathrata and Acropora pharaonis.

Reader's Guide

Acropora plumosa is notable as a vulnerable species with a decreasing population, threatened by reef destruction, climate change, rising sea temperatures leading to bleaching, coral disease, predation by the starfish Acanthaster planci, and human activity and infrastructure. It is uncommon but found over a large area in the Central Indo-Pacific, including regions of Indonesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Pohnpei, the Philippines, Raja Ampat, and Banggai. It is native to Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Micronesia, Palau, Singapore, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Its listing on CITES Appendix II and potential occurrence within Marine Protected Areas reflect conservation concern. The species was first described in 1998, and its irregular table-like colonies with pale branch tips and tube-shaped corallites distinguish it from similar acroporids.

Did You Know?

• Acropora plumosa was first described by C. C. Wallace and J. Wolstenholme in 1998.
• It is found at depths between 10 and 30 m on sheltered reef slopes and reef walls.
• It is classed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List with a decreasing population.
• Threats include predation by the starfish Acanthaster planci and climate change-induced bleaching.