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 : 835-837

Acropora polystoma (Brook, 1891)

Fig. 26

Colony growth form: Corymbose to caespito-corymbose; thick tapering branches with irregularly spaced branchlets. Incipient axial corallites are common, especially distally on branch.

Axial corallites: Outer diameter 2.7–3.7 mm; inner diameter 0.6–1.3 mm; short, tubular and thick walled with wide opening; primary septa present, secondary may be present or much reduced, particularly on incipient axials where they are reduced to points.

Radial corallites: Highly dimorphic; longer corallites are tubular or tubular appressed with rounded to oval or nariform opening; septal development is reduced or incomplete and directive may be prominent; shorter radials are sub-immersed with a single septal cycle, usually just visible as spines.

Coenosteum: Densely arranged lines of simple spinules on corallites; coarsely reticulate with scattered spinules in intercorallite area.

Figures

Fig. 26. Acropora polystoma. Specimen number: VAM34. (A) live colony with (B) branch fragment; (C) radial corallites and (D) axial corallite; (E) coenosteum between corallites.