Acropora echinata

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia >> Phylum: Cnidaria >> Class: Anthozoa >> Order: Scleractinia >> Family: Acroporidae

Appearance:

• Branches have bottlebrush appearance (hispidose)
• Branchlets are delicate and uniform

Colour: Usually cream to white with blue/purple tips. Sometimes entirely blue.

Axial Corallites:

• Cannot distinguish incipient axial and axial corallites

Radial Corallites:

• Can be tubular, appressed, indistinct or completely absent

Similar species: Acropora speciosa is has larger corallites and colonies form compact cushions. A. subglabra has less uniform branches with shorter corallites.

Habitat: Protected reefs with good water quality.