Coral Description
Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia >> Phylum: Cnidaria >> Class: Anthozoa >> Order: Scleractinia >> Family: Acroporidae
Appearance:
- Encrusting plates, thick ridges or columns
- Branches/columns commonly upright but can be horizontal and irregular- growth form depends on wave action
Colour: Pale cream or brown
Axial Corallites:
- Usually absent
Radial Corallites:
- Smooth
- Rounded
- Exsert
Similar species: Acropora cuneata has smaller and flatter branches with finer, rounder and shorter corallites.
Environment: Wide range of reef environments
Isopora palifera on our Reefscapers coral frame
Coral frame
Isopora palifera (2) small colony showing corallites
Corallites on small colony
Isopora palifera (3) coral growing in columns
Coral growing in columns
Isopora palifera (4) coral bleaching
Bleaching
Isopora palifera (5) coral skeleton
Skeleton
Isopora palifera (6) skeleton closeup lack of distinct axial corallites
Skeleton closeup
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