Eusmilia fastigiata

(Pallas, 1766)

Vernacular names
English : Smooth flower coral
French : Corail-fleur doux

Classification
Class : Anthozoa
Order : Scleractinia
Family : Meandrinidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
The colonies are dome-shaped, reaching up to 50 cm in diameter, rarely more. Corallites are big, tubular and widely spaced. Septae are prominent, costae are smooth and well visible. Coloration uniformly yellowish-brown to grey.

Range and habitat
This species occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean, from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida through Caribbean islands to Bahamas and Bermuda. Lives in protected reef environments and lagoons, down to 65 meters deep.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
CITES : Appendix II
Status : This species used to be very common within its range and seemed to be resilient. Unfortunately, it has proven to be very sensitive to bleaching, ocean water acidification and warming amongst other threats. Coral reefs in the Caribbean areas are under extreme pressure from habitat loss and climate change consequences and more than 80% of corals and reefs there are scheduled to disappear within the next decades.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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