Pavona bipartita

Pavona bipartita
Pavona bipartita in New Caledonia
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Order:	Scleractinia
Family:	Agariciidae
Genus:	Pavona
Species:	P. bipartita
Binomial name
Pavona bipartita Nemenzo, 1980 [2]

Pavona bipartita, sometimes known as leaf coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Agariciidae. It is found in shallow water, on reef slopes and on vertical surfaces, in tropical parts of the western and central Indo-Pacific region.

Description

Corallites of Pavona bipartita

Colonies of Pavona bipartita are either submassive or encrusting, and can be a metre (yard) across. The corallites are shallow depressions with poorly defined walls. They are evenly distributed over the undulating surface of the colony, and there are a network of uneven raised ridges between them. The columella are small and the septacostae extend over the ridges and are arranged in two alternating orders. This coral is usually some shade of brown.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

Pavona bipartita is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from East Africa and the Red Sea to Japan, the East China Sea, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. It is an uncommon species and occurs on reef slopes and vertical surfaces, at depths down to about 20 metres (66 ft).^[1]

Status

The conservation status of Pavona bipartita has been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being "vulnerable". The population trend is unknown, but this coral is susceptible to bleaching, and it is likely that the number of mature colonies is decreasing as a result of destruction of its reef habitats.^[1]

References