Acropora florida
Dana, 1846
Description: Colonies in turbid water may attain great sizes. They are composed of thick upright or prostrate branches covered with short, stubby sub-branches. Main branches may be highly fused in some geographic regions. Horizontal branches may have no branchlets on the undersurface. Axial corallites are small. Radial corallites are either immersed or uniformly tubular over the whole colony.
Color: Usually browns, occasionally bright green. The dominant colour varies geographically.
Habitat: Shallow reef environments.
Abundance: Common.
Similar Species: Acropora wallaceae and A. lovelli. See also A. sarmentosa, which has large axial corallites and smaller branches forming digitate colonies.
Taxonomic note: This species is divisible into several smaller semi-distinct taxonomic units. Source reference: Veron (2000). Taxonomic references: Veron and Wallace (1984), Wallace (1999). Identification guides: Veron (1986), Nishihira and Veron (1995).
A large stand. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Photograph: Neville Coleman
A large colony of flattened branches. Calamian Islands, Philippines Photograph: Charlie Veron
Common appearance of a medium sized colony. Papua New Guinea Photograph: Charlie Veron
Corallite detail. Houtman Abrolhos Islands, south-west Australia Photograph: Charlie Veron
A branch end. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Photograph: Ed Lovell
Skeletal detail. Radial corallites.
Surface of a flat branch. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Photograph: Neville Coleman