Lowrelief Lettuce Coral
CR

Lowrelief Lettuce Coral

Agaricia humilis

Declining

Photo: Photo: (c) Pim Bongaerts, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Pim Bongaerts

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Agaricia humilis faces severe population declines primarily due to coral bleaching events triggered by rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification. The species has experienced catastrophic mortality during mass bleaching episodes, with some populations showing over 80% decline since the 1980s. White band disease and other coral pathogens have further decimated remaining colonies, while coastal development and sedimentation continue to degrade critical reef habitats throughout its Caribbean range.

Threat summary

Habitat

Agaricia humilis inhabits shallow coral reef environments throughout the Caribbean, typically found at depths of 1-20 meters on reef slopes, fore-reefs, and patch reefs. This plate coral species prefers areas with moderate to high water flow and forms distinctive overlapping plate-like colonies that provide important three-dimensional reef structure.

Marine neritic· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionHabitat & natural process restorationSpecies recoveryLegislation

Other threatened species in AGARICIIDAE

Thin Leaf Lettuce CoralCR

Thin Leaf Lettuce Coral

Agaricia tenuifolia

Declining
CR

Sunray Lettuce Coral

Helioseris cucullata

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VU

Pavona minuta

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VU

Pavona chiriquiensis

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Threatened in Bahamas

Artichoke CoralCR

Artichoke Coral

Scolymia cubensis

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Maze CoralCR

Maze Coral

Meandrina meandrites

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Massive Starlet CoralCR

Massive Starlet Coral

Siderastrea siderea

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Lowrelief Lettuce Coral classified as Critically Endangered?
Lowrelief Lettuce Coral is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Agaricia humilis faces severe population declines primarily due to coral bleaching events triggered by rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification. The species has experienced catastrophic mortality during mass bleaching episodes, with some populations showing over 80% decline since the 1980s. White band disease and other coral pathogens have further decimated remaining colonies, while coastal development and sedimentation continue to degrade critical reef habitats throughout its Caribbean range.
Where does Lowrelief Lettuce Coral live?
Lowrelief Lettuce Coral occurs in Bahamas, Brazil, Mexico, and Trinidad & Tobago. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Lowrelief Lettuce Coral?
The main threats to Lowrelief Lettuce Coral are 11.1, 2.1, 5.4, and 6.1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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