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.