Antler Coral

Colonies are usually ramose or arborescent, bushy or plate-like, rarely encrusting or submassive. Corallites are of two types, radial and axial; septa are in two cycles; columellae are absent; corallite walls and coenosteum are porous. Polyps are usually only extended at night (Veron, 1986). Occur as plate, table and branching colonies. Most have light skeletons and are fast growing. Corallites are characteristically densely-packed and cup-shaped, 2-3 mm across, often protruding 2-3 mm from the branch surface. In most species, terminal corallites at the tips of branches are enlarged and obvious. Colour: terminal corallites are often bright pink, pale blue or yellow (Richmond, 1997).

A variety of colony shapes occur, as growth may be determinate, leading to more or less symmetrical shape and obvious edge zone, or indeterminate, leading to unrestricted growth (Wallace 1999 p. 50-51). Other distinguishing characteristics include the relative contribution of axial and radial corallites to branch width, shape of radial corallites, whether or not radial corallites are dimorphic, shape and arrangement of coenosteal spines. (Figure 4). Montipora does not haveand Astreopora

Acroporidae which are ramose, rarely encrusting; branching mode axial, each branch having a single axial or leading corallite larger than the numerous radial corallites budded from it; radial corallites variously differentiated in shape and size, up to twelve spinose septa; theca and coenosteum light, reticulate, spinose, costate or pseudocostate; columella and dissepiments absent.

ICZN approved validation of genus name, Opinion 674, 1963 See Boschma, H. 1961. Acropora Oken, 1815 (Anthozoa, Madreporaria): proposed validation under the plenary powers. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 18: 334–335. China, W. E. 1963 Opinion 674 Acropora Oken, 1815 (Anthozoa, Madreporaria) validated under the plenary powers. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 20: 319-330.