Acropora palmerae Wells, 1954

Wallace, Carden C., Done, Barbara J. & Muir, Paul R., 2012, Revision and catalogue of worldwide staghorn corals Acropora and Isopora (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) in the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Memoirs of the Queensland Museu Nature 57, pp. 1-258 : 144

Acropora palmerae Wells, 1954

( Fig. 70 )

Acropora palmerae Wells, 1954: 410 , p1. 113 figs 1–3.

Acropora minuta Veron, 2000 , vol. 1: 210; 2002: 42–43, figs 74–76.

Type locality. Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands (holotype NMNH-SI).

MTQ Holdings. Seychelles: G59475; Mauritius: G33204; Rodriguez: G33226; Thailand: G55892 Indonesia: G49361, G55796 HOLOTYPE of A. minuta Bali; G49359–60, G59080 Alor; Australia: G64322 West; G30216–17 Great Barrier Reef; G30209–15, G30218 South-East; Guam: G53635; Marshall Is.: G33130; Niue: G36020; Cook Is.: G35694, G35733, G35839, G36069, G36070.

Species group: robusta .

Description. Colony outline: indeterminate, predominantly encrusting. Branches: tertiary branching order absent; length: if present, <25 mm; diameter: 10.0–19.9 mm, axial-dominated, tapering; radial crowding: some touching; axial/radial ratio:>1:10. Axial corallites: two synapticular rings; porous; outer diameter 2.1–2.8 mm; inner diameter 0.9–1.3 mm; primary septa

to ½ R. Radial corallites: large; two synapticular rings; two sizes; inner wall developed; shape: tubular; openings: dimidiate; primary septa to ½ R. Coenosteum: different on and between radials: between radials: reticulate, on radials: costate; spinule shape: single point.

Taxonomic note. Acropora minuta is placed in synonymy with A. palmerae after comparing the holotype G55796 with specimens G33276, G49361, G55892, G59080 and G59475. The very small corallites noted on the A. minuta specimen represent a variation found in parts of coralla in A. palmerae specimens. In this species, corallite shape, size and number per unit area vary greatly, a phenomenon seen also at the base of branches in some other species in the A. robusta group, for example in A. robusta itself.

Further literature. Wallace & Wolstenholme (1998), Wallace (1999), Veron (2002).

Figures

FIG. 70. Acropora palmerae, G59474, Seychelles, 2006 (photo: P. Muir). Map of documented distribution: blue squares = MTQ specimens; pink squares = literature records; orange diamonds = type localities (where given), including primary synonyms.