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 : 814-815

Acropora cf. bifurcata Nemenzo, 1971

Fig. 5

Colony growth form: Tables or plate-like usually side-attached; fine horizontally spreading branches that may be fused especially in the centre of table; secondary branches often consist of incipient axial corallite surrounded by a crown of radials slightly projecting upward from main branch surface and giving a clumsy appearance; under-surface of colony is usually devoid of branchlets.

Axial corallites: Outer diameter 1.7–2.1 mm; inner diameter 0.5–0.9 mm; exsert and tubular; primary septa are well developed and usually dentate and secondary septa are reduced or absent.

Radial corallites: Small, tubular and strongly appressed with round to oval opening; radial corallites are evenly sized and spaced with the exception of few longer ones with flaring outer lip; primary septa are rudimentary and second cycle absent.

Coenosteum: Costate or lines of laterally flattened spinules.

Remarks: This species was somewhat problematic and presented similarities with Acropora cytherea (Dana, 1846), namely in its branching pattern, but the structure of radial corallites and the branching pattern of secondary branchlets, consisting of clumps of one axial and radial corallites projecting only little from the surface of horizontal main branches, pointed to Nemenzo’s (1971) A. bifurcata.

Figures

Fig. 5. Acropora cf. bifurcata. Specimen number: VAM56. (A) live colony (B) branch detail; (C) branch fragment; (D) radial corallites; (E) axial corallite.