Acropora, Oken, 1815

Sola, Erwan, Silva, Isabel Marques da & Glassom, David, 2015, An annotated and illustrated checklist of species of the coral genus Acropora (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) from Vamizi Island, Mozambique, African Invertebrates 56 (3), pp. 807-807 : 823-824

Acropora grandis (Brook, 1892)

Fig. 14

Colony growth form: Arborescent with frequent ramifications; main branches are usually straight and upright.

Axial corallites: Outer diameter 2.2–2.5 mm; inner diameter 0.9–1.0 mm; exsert but thin walled; one cycle of large and neat septa, second cycle is absent.

Radial corallites: Two sizes; most are tubular to appressed tubular with oblique opening but tend to be longer at the branch tip and slightly nariform; directive septa are prominent and remaining first cycle strongly dentate.

Coenosteum: On corallites, costae are joined by synapticules and coarsely reticulate or spongy with occasional spinules in intercorallite area; branch tips are very brittle.

Figures

Fig. 14. Acropora grandis. Specimen number: VAM67. (A) live colony; (B) branch fragment; (C) axial corallite; (D) radial corallites; (E) coenosteum between corallites.