Staghorn Coral

Colonies are caespitose, small bushes when small, but develop into brackets or corymbose plates up to almost a metre across when fully developed. Corallites are tubular or appressed, usually with thick lips, and appear to be closely packed together. Those on the undersides of the main branches are smaller, sparse, and mostly immersed. The main branches of older colonies may grow horizontally, in which case branchlets curve up vertically from them. Small fragments of branches which do not reveal the corymbose colony structure may look very similar to a large A. nasuta. This is a common coral found in both clear and fairly turbid water, mostly where illumination is good (Sheppard, 1998). Colonies are mostly caespitose-corymbose but have a wide range of forms from compact brushes to tables. Radial corallites are usually a mixture of sizes and are strongly appressed with small openings. Colour: cream brown or yellow, sometimes brown with purple branch tips and cream corallites, a colour shared by A. secale and other species. Abundance: Very abundant and occurs in a wide range of environments. Colonies seldom exceed 0.5 m in diameter (Veron, 1986). One of the most abundant and widespread corals. Colony shape varies from low, domed clusters of short branches to bushy or tabular colonies up to 1 m in diameter. But usually occurs in compact clumps. Corallites are close to the branches (appressed) or tubular with small openings. They vary in size and are generally smaller on the underside of the branches. Colour: usually cream to yellowish-brown, sometimes with pinkish tips to the branches and whitish corallites. Habitat: diverse common on upper reef slopes (Richmond, 1997).