©David Witherall and Sabrina Prince: Rosette Plate Coral, Acropora millepora, Barry the Bommie, Normanby Island
©David Witherall and Sabrina Prince: Rosette Plate Coral, Acropora millepora, Barry the Bommie, Normanby Island
Colours
Distinguishing features
A corymbose species that forms small colonies up to about 1m in breadth. The branchlets are a similar length, and the axial polyp is relatively distinct, with a similar colouration to the rest of the colony. The radial corallites are all similar in size, and have a distinctive flared lip, giving the branches a scaly appearance. Most specimens are orange to light brown in colour, but rare colonies have a distinct blue-purple colouration.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
-
Animalia:
species: Acropora spathulata
Acropora spathulata has considerably thicker branches than Acropora millepora, especially at the base, and its scalloped radial corallites are more pronounced. (ReefBuilder) -
Animalia:
species: Acropora spathulata
has thicker (> 2 cm) and more widely-spaced branches (contributed by Zoe Richards).
Distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Protected shallow back reef, lagoonal, and reef flat habitats.
Abundant in shallow habitats around Lizard Island.
Behaviour
Like most Acroporidae, this species is a hermaphrodite broadcast spawner, releasing gametes shortly after dark in the few days after the full moon in the warmer months between November and February.
Web resources
References
- Abrego, D., M.J.H. Van Oppen and B.L. Willis (2009). Onset of algal endosymbiont specificity varies among closely related species of Acropora corals during early ontogeny, Molecular Ecology, 18: 3532-3543.
- Baird, A.H., J.R. Guest and B.L. Willis (2009). Systematic and biogeographical patterns in the reproductive biology of scleractinian corals, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 40: 551-571.
- Birrell, C.L., L.J. McCook, B.L. Willis and L. Harrington (2008). Chemical effects of macroalgae on larval settlement of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 362: 129-137. LIRS catalog number 1183.
- View all references