Acropora papillare facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acropora papillare |
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Acropora papillare is a special type of coral that lives in the ocean. It's part of a family called acroporid corals. A scientist named Latypov first described this coral in 1992. You can find it in warm, shallow parts of the ocean, especially where there are strong waves. It usually lives in water that's about 1 to 5 meters (3 to 16 feet) deep. Sadly, Acropora papillare is considered a vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List, which means its numbers are going down. Even though it's not very common, it can be found in many places, including parts of Indonesia. It's also protected under CITES Appendix II, which helps control trade of endangered plants and animals.
What Does It Look Like?
Acropora papillare corals grow in groups called colonies. These colonies often look like clumps with curved branches. The branches can grow up to 80 millimeters (about 3 inches) long and are usually between 15 and 30 millimeters (about 0.6 to 1.2 inches) thick. This coral can be blue or brown.
Its branches have two main types of tiny structures called corallites:
- Axial corallites: These are found at the very tips of the branches. They are small, usually less than 3.4 millimeters wide, and have a thick cup that covers the coral polyp inside.
- Radial corallites: These are found along the sides of the branches. They are all about the same size and have noticeable "lips" around their openings.
Because of these features, Acropora papillare looks quite similar to three other Acropora corals: A. abrotanoides, A. aspera, and A. robusta. This coral prefers to live on the flat parts of reefs or in very shallow areas where strong waves hit.
Where Does It Live?
Acropora papillare is not very common, but it is found across a wide area. You can find it in places like Australia, Japan, and several regions of Indonesia. It also lives in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, the East China Sea, and throughout Southeast Asia.
Specifically, it is native to:
- Australia
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Thailand
- Taiwan
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Indonesia
- Japan
- The Cocos Islands
- The Philippines
Unfortunately, the number of Acropora papillare corals is decreasing. They face many threats, including:
- Climate change: This causes the ocean to get warmer.
- Rising sea temperatures: Warmer water can lead to coral bleaching, where corals lose their color and become sick.
- Coral diseases: Like other living things, corals can get sick.
- Reef destruction: Damage to coral reefs from storms or human activities.
- Predators: One predator is the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), which eats coral.
- Human activity: Things like pollution or harmful fishing practices can also hurt corals.
Because of these threats, Acropora papillare is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. It is also protected under CITES Appendix II, which means international trade of this coral is carefully controlled to prevent it from becoming more endangered. This coral might also be found in Marine Protected Areas, which are special ocean zones designed to protect marine life.
Who Discovered This Coral?
The Acropora papillare coral was first described by a scientist named Y. Y. Latypov in 1992. He identified it in Vietnam.
