Acropora, Oken, 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 : 136-137

Acropora muricata (Linnaeus, 1758)

( Fig. 66 )

Millepora muricata Linnaeus, 1758: 792.

Madrepora formosa Dana, 1846: 473 , pl. 38 fig. 4, pl. 31 figs 2a–b.

Madrepora gracilis Dana, 1846: 482 , pl. 41 figs 3–3a.

Madrepora virgata Dana, 1846: 471 , pl. 39 fig. 1.

Madrepora brachiata Dana, 1846: 474 .

Madrepora stellulata Verrill, 1902: 238, pl. 36C fig. 3, pl. 36F fig. 10.

Acropora laevis Crossland, 1952: 230 , pl. 45 figs 1–2.

Acropora copiosa Nemenzo, 1967: 56, pl. 20 figs 1–2.

Acropora varia Nemenzo, 1967: 59, pl. 21 figs 1–2.

Type locality. Gunung Api I., Banda, Indonesia.

MTQ Holdings. NEOTYPE G49167 Indonesia; Red Sea: G54860–61, G55256, G58677 Saudi Arabia; G51944, G53544–46, G54277–79, G54705, G54732, G54828, G54853, G62974, G63227 Yemen; Socotra: G56954, G56956, G57401; Comoros: G55095; Mayotte: G63182–88, G63277, G63345, G63420; Persian Gulf: G55033, G58681 Saudi Arabia; Seychelles: G47922–24, G51850, G59452, G59467, G59477, G59483, G59487, G59518, G59537, G59554, G59565; La R é union: G33208; Mauritius: G33215, G39788, G51826–28; Maldives: G59739–46, G59952–54, G60372; Chagos: G51366–67, G51447, G53307, G53308; Sri Lanka: G55582, G55769, G56345–46; Thailand: G35958, G52644, G56007–08, G56134, G56465–70, G56133–34, G59333, G63006; Malaysia: G52627–28, G57680, G59142 mainland and islands; G40195–96, G40198, G41135, G53881, G53897 Sabah; Singapore: G41015; Indonesia: G47159, G49176–79, G49427–28, G53663 Sumatra; G32851, G59201–02 Java; G49205, G50222, G53775 Bali; G50916 Nusa Tenggara; G49189–90 Alor; G48219–20, G49172–74 Lombok; G35761, G35974, G35976 Maluku; G43811 Taka’bonerate; G50705–20 Seribu Is; G47127, G50830, G50834 Ambon; G49180–84, G49429, G50917, G59074 Flores; G49197–204, G49275, G49440–44, G50912–15 Kalimantan; G49187, G49302, G49432 Semau; G47839–40, G48195–218, G49168–71, G49175, G49191–96, G49206, G49422–26, G49433–39, G50824–29, G53664, G53776–82, G55444–48, G56618, G56620, G59089, G59664–66 Sulawesi; G53783, G53797–99 Molucca Sea; G53784–96, G54304 Halmahera; G47123– 26, G48194, G49165–67, G49421 Banda Sea; G49185–86, G49430–31, G49188 West Timor; G60751 Irian Jaya; Australia: G36794, G38369, G40460, G40462–63, G40789, G40838–41, G40845, G40864–65, G40871, G40873, G48726–31, G52680–88, G61068–70, G61095, G61256–62, G61586, G61667, G61685, G61691–93 West; G39779, G48491, G51275–76 North; G27029, G27057, G27082, G27516–18, G27538–44, G27688–92, G27694–96, G27698, G28347, G28875–78, G28880, G28986, G28989–90, G28992–93, G28995–96, G29708–10, G29712–14, G30207, G30487–92, G30494, G31008, G31010–12, G32457, G34191, G39789–90, G40896–97, G40971, G40978–84, G40996–97, G41003–05, G41069, G47288–90, G47387, G47630–32, G48255–64, G48454–62, G49235, G49239, G49994, G50836–38, G51105, G52057, G56932, G57037–40, G57511, G57526, G58221–23, G58268, G58601, G59022, G62907–08, G64748, G64765 Great Barrier Reef; G65005 South-East; G27697, G28881, G31007, G60232 Coral Sea; South China Sea: G37563, G37573, G52225, G52260–61; Japan: G36844, G36847–48, G36905–0 7, G36913, G47738–40, G47965, G48379, G62342–45, G62832, G62858, G62986– 89; Taiwan: G43844, G43850, G43852, G43856, G45774–84, G45786–87, G45789, G45840, G45846, G45897, G45904, G47607, G47614–16, G58028–31; Philippines: G32817, G41557–58, G41569, G41703–0 5, G45858, G52314–15, G52326–29; Palau: G61860; Papua New Guinea: G35623, G35635, G35677, G35824, G35920, G52831–50, G53106–0 7, G53591; Louisiade Archipelago: G35368; Micronesia: G40709–10, G40717 Yap; G36606–08, G38001 Chuuk; G40804, G40816, G40831, G47395–96, G62369–74, G62540, G62550, G62571 Pohnpei; G62786 Kosrae; Solomon Is.: G58574, G59002; New Caledonia: G33088, G33098, G34965, G34967, G35001, G54687, G58717, G58721, G58739, G61200, G61219; Chesterfield Atoll: G38145; Marshall Is.: G33123, G56200–02; Kiribati: G54824; Fiji: G33311–13, G34805, G34814, G40928, G40930, G40938, G58970; Samoa: G34734, G34872, G41193, G41288, G43460, G43497, G56029; French Polynesia: G55443; Austral Is.: G63228.

Species group: muricata.

Description. Colony outline: indeterminate, predominantly arborescent. Branches: tertiary branching order absent; length:>100 mm; diameter: 10.0–19.9 mm, axial-dominated, tapering; radial crowding: most touching; axial/ radial ratio:>1:10. Axial corallites: two synapticular rings; not porous; outer diameter 1.5–3.0 mm; inner diameter 0.8–1.2 mm; primary septa to ½ R. Radial corallites: medium; two synapticular rings; one size or graded; inner wall developed; shape: tubular; openings: ovalrounded; primary septa to ¼ R. Coenosteum: different on and between radials: between radials: reticulate, on radials: costate; spinule shape: single point.

Taxonomic note. The type species of the genus. Designation of a neotype has stabilised the species and genus Acropora : see Wallace (1999: 2–4, figures 1–2) for a discussion of the nomenclatural history of the genus, and Wallace (1999: 182) for designation of the neotype).

Further literature: Sheppard & Sheppard (1991), Nishihira & Veron (1995), Wallace & Wolstenholme (1998), Wallace (1999), Veron(2000), Pillay

et al. (2002), Nomura & Mezaki (2005), Dai & Horng (2 0 0 9), Pichon et al. 2010, Turak & DeVantier (2011).

Figures

FIG. 66. Acropora muricata, G60372 Vabbinfaru I., N. Male Atoll, Maldives, 2006 (photo: P. Muir). Map of documented distribution: blue squares = MTQ specimens; pink squares = literature records; orange diamonds = type localities (where given), including primary synonyms.