General Information

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group; ? N.Group; Marine, near-shore, reef-flat lagoon, outer reef-slope KEY FEATURES: Small, 20cmØ, yellow or cream. Shrub-like, branching, branch tips approximately spherical (globose). Radial & axial corallites are very variable in length. SIMILAR SPECIES: Acropora longycyathus has larger, clearly tubular & protruberant corallites (vs smaller, less tubular & protruberant corallites of A. elseyi).

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	P				P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Acropora elseyi (Brook, 1892)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); ANTHOZOA; ZOANTHARIA (=Hexacorallia); Scleractinia (=Madreporaria); ACROPORIDAE

IDENTIFICATION: COLONY small, ~ 20cmØ, yellow or cream. Branching, shrub- or tree-like, branch tips ~ spherical (=globose). CORALLITES, radial - tubular with round openings; axial - to 2mm exsert. CALICES deep, located on tips of corallites, which project obliquely upwards from the branches. SEPTA, 2 orders, 1st order up to 2/3rds of the corallite radius. COENOSTEUM finely costate (= visible regularly arranged paralell lines of costae running down the coenosteum). REPRODUCTION extratentacular budding.

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens+photo, Muri lagoon, S.Miller (2001) ID per Veron (AIMS Mono Series), NHP#SM013 - 014. ID uncertain.

References:
Special Reference: Veron, J.E.N. & Wallace, C.C. (1984). Scleractinia of Eastern Australia. Part V Family Acroporidae. Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph Series 6. p 385-390.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

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