Acroporidae

Acroporidae
Temporal range: Jurassic - recent[1]
Acropora secale, the corallites can be seen at the end of the branches.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Scleractinia
Suborder: Astrocoeiina
Family: Acroporidae
Verrill, 1902[2]
Genera[2]

Acroporidae is a family of small polyped stony corals in the phylum Cnidaria. The name is derived from the Greek "akron" meaning "summit" and refers to the presence of a corallite at the tip of each branch of coral.[3] They are commonly known as staghorn corals and are grown in aquaria by reef hobbyists.[4]

  1. ^ Veron, J. E. N.; Odorico, D. M.; Chen, C. A.; Miller, D. J. (1996). "Reassessing evolutionary relationships of scleractinian corals". Coral Reefs. 15 (1). Springer Nature: 1–9. doi:10.1007/bf01626073. ISSN 0722-4028.
  2. ^ a b Hoeksema, B. (2013). "Acroporidae". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  3. ^ "Classification of Scleractinian (Stony) Corals". Archived from the original on 2011-12-06. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
  4. ^ Quintessential Small Polyped Stony Corals, the Staghorns, Family Acroporidae