Acropora intermedia
Overview
Acropora intermedia is a branching stony coral belonging to the family Acroporidae, one of the most diverse and widespread coral genera on reef systems. Colonies form staghorn-like structures with corymbose or arborescent branches, providing habitat complexity that supports fish and invertebrate communities. Like other scleractinian corals, it relies on a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic zooxanthellae housed within its tissues, which supply the coral with energy while the coral provides shelter and access to sunlight.
As a reef-building species, it contributes calcium carbonate skeletal material that reinforces reef structure and supports broader biodiversity.
This species inhabits shallow marine neritic waters across the Indo-Pacific, including reef environments in French Polynesia, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Australia, the Maldives, and Japan. It typically occupies reef flats, slopes, and lagoons where light penetration supports its symbiotic algae.
The species faces multiple ongoing pressures. Mining and quarrying activities degrade nearby substrate and increase sedimentation. Recreational activities, including diving and anchoring, cause physical damage to colonies.
Domestic and urban wastewater discharge contributes to nutrient pollution and reduced water quality, while broader pollution sources of unrecorded origin compound these effects. Disease outbreaks and pressure from native predator species, such as crown-of-thorns starfish, further stress populations. Habitat alteration and shifting environmental conditions, linked to broader ecosystem modification, add additional strain.
Conservation responses include reef monitoring programs, marine protected areas within parts of its range, and international trade regulation under CITES. Restoration efforts involving coral fragmentation and outplanting are underway in several reef regions.
The population trend is currently decreasing, and the species is classified as Endangered, reflecting continued habitat degradation and cumulative environmental pressures across its range.
This coral faces ongoing damage from coastal construction and quarrying activities that physically destroy reef habitat, along with pollution from sewage and wastewater runoff that degrades water quality. It also suffers from disease outbreaks, harmful native species (like coral-eating starfish), and broader changes to its reef environment caused by climate-related shifts, while heavy recreational use such as diving and boating adds further physical stress. Since all these pressures are currently listed as ongoing with no signs of easing, the overall threat level to this coral appears to be stable to worsening rather than improving.
Habitat
Conservation measures underway
Other threatened species in ACROPORIDAE
Threatened in Australia
Frequently asked questions
Why is Acropora intermedia classified as Endangered?
Where does Acropora intermedia live?
What are the main threats to Acropora intermedia?
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