Acropora florida

Lore & Background

Colonies of Acropora florida consist of thick upright, and sometimes horizontal, branches growing from a sprawling or encrusting base. Side branches and small branchlets resemble knobs, and the corallites are evenly spread. The colour of this coral varies, and may be pinkish-brown or some shade of green.

Acropora florida is a zooxanthellate species, obtaining most of its nutritional needs from symbiotic dinoflagellates living inside its soft tissues. These photosynthetic organisms provide organic carbon and nitrogen, sometimes supplying up to 90% of the coral's energy needs for metabolism and growth. Remaining needs are met by planktonic organisms caught by the tentacles of the polyps.

The species is common and no species-specific threats have been identified. Main threats faced by corals in general include climate change, mechanical destruction of reef habitats, increasing damage from extreme weather events, rising sea water temperatures, and ocean acidification. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as endangered, and all corals receive protection by being listed on CITES Appendix II.

Reader's Guide

Acropora florida is notable as a common species of acroporid coral with a wide distribution across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its description highlights thick upright or horizontal branches from an encrusting base, with evenly spread corallites and variable coloration. As a zooxanthellate coral, it relies heavily on symbiotic dinoflagellates for up to 90% of its energy needs, supplementing with plankton captured by polyps. The species faces no identified specific threats, but general coral threats such as climate change, habitat destruction, extreme weather, rising temperatures, and ocean acidification apply. Its conservation status is listed as endangered by the IUCN, and it is protected under CITES Appendix II. The entry underscores the species' ecological role and the broader challenges confronting coral reefs.

Did You Know?

• Acropora florida is found in the southwest and northern Indian Ocean, central Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, East China Sea, Cook Islands, and oceanic west Pacific.
• Its colonies have thick upright or horizontal branches from a sprawling or encrusting base, with side branches resembling knobs.
• The coral obtains up to 90% of its energy needs from symbiotic dinoflagellates.
• The IUCN has assessed this species as endangered.