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Acropora gemmifera

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Colony, skeleton & skeletal detail - axial corallite size, Rarotonga	60KB

General Information

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore

KEY FEATURES: COLONY ~ 70cmØ, cream or blue, digitate. Thick branches taper towards tip & are cone-like. CORALLITES - axial <3mmØ, calices =1mmØ. Radial - two inter-mixed types - immersed and exsert. Radial corallites tend to increase in size (length) with distance from branch tips. Tubular with round to dimidiate openings <3mm exsert & <2.6mmØ, calices 0.8-1.0mmØ. COENOSTEUM covered in fine spinules or finely costate. REPRODUCTION extratentacular budding.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Radial corallites of Acropora monticulosa do not increase in size with distance from the branch tips (vs A.gemmifera where radial corallites increase in size with distance from the branch tips).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens+photo, Muri lagoon, S.Miller (2001), NHP#SM015 - 016; AK- specimen, Paulay thesis (1988).

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 .

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

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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