Acropora elegans (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1860), 1815

Wallace, Carden C., Done, Barbara J. & Muir, Paul R., 2012, Revision and catalogue of worldwide staghorn corals Acropora and Isopora (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) in the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Memoirs of the Queensland Museu Nature 57, pp. 1-258 : 64

Acropora elegans (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1860)

( Fig. 30 )

Madrepora elegans Milne Edwards & Haime, 1860: 163 , pl. E1 fig. 3.

Acropora magnifica Nemenzo, 1971: 148 , pl. 3 fig. 1.

Type locality. unknown (holotype MNHN).

Indonesia: G55124 Flores; G56509, G58636, G59381 Sulawesi; G63166 Halmahera; G60785–89, G60791–93, G60989 Irian Jaya; Australia: G63661–66 Great Barrier Reef; G63660 Coral Sea; Micronesia: G62365 Pohnpei.

Species group: elegans.

Description. Colony outline: determinate, predominantly plate or layered plates. Branches: tertiary branching order absent; length: 25–50 mm; diameter: 2.5–4.9 mm, axial-dominated, terete; radial crowding: not touching; axial/ radial ratio: <1:10. Axial corallites: two synapticular rings; not porous; outer diameter 0.8–2.1 mm; inner diameter 0.4–0.8 mm; primary septa to 2/3 R. Radial corallites: small; two synapticular rings; one size or graded; inner wall developed; shape: tubular; openings: ovalrounded; primary septa to ½ R. Coenosteum: same on and between radials: dense spinules; spinule shape: elaborate.

Taxonomic note. Acropora elegans reported by Wallace (1997) from the Hermit Isles, Papua New Guinea was found to be a new species, A. pichoni Wallace, 1999 .

Further literature. Veron & Nishihira (1995), Wallace & Wolstenholme (1998), Wallace (1999), Veron (2000), Turak & DeVantier (2011), Bridge et al. (2012).

Figures

FIG. 30. Acropora elegans, mesophotic zone, Tydeman Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, 2011 (photo: P. Muir). Map of documented distribution: blue squares = MTQ specimens; pink squares = literature records; orange diamonds = type localities (where given), including primary synonyms.