Acropora subglabra

Lore & Background

Acropora subglabra was originally described as Madrepora subglabra by Brook in 1891. It forms colonies of thickets with branches that appear like bottlebrush, and the colonies look bushy due to irregular division of branches. Its incipient axial and axial corallites taper to a point and are tube-shaped, while its appressed radial corallites are short. The species is pale brown in colour, and branches can have yellow tips.

Reader's Guide

Acropora subglabra is classed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List, with its population decreasing in line with the global decline of coral reefs. It is listed under Appendix II of CITES. Figures of its population are unknown, but it is likely threatened by the global reduction of coral reefs, increased temperature causing coral bleaching, climate change, human activity, the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), and disease. Its distribution spans the northern Indian Ocean, central Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea, and the oceanic western Pacific Ocean. It occurs at depths of between 5 and 25 metres (16 and 82 ft) in tropical shallow reefs, often restricted to sheltered back reefs containing soft substrates and clear water. The species was described by Brook in 1891.

Did You Know?

• Its branches have a bottlebrush appearance and can have yellow tips.
• It is found at depths of 5 to 15 metres (16 to 49 ft) in sheltered back reefs.