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Big changes are on the horizon for Acropora!
The more precise existing and sophisticated investigation methods become and the more new methods of identification are used, the greater and more astonishing the results.
We have translated the original summary of the article “The tables have turned: taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of
the Acropora hyacinthus (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) complex” 1:1 into German, which illustrates the changes that we will also implement in the Sea Water Encyclopedia:
"Genomic data have revealed that traditional coral taxonomy based on skeletal morphology does not accurately reflect the true diversity of, or systematic relationships within, the order Scleractinia. Here, we apply an integrated taxonomic approach combining molecular analysis and morphological comparison of type material with specimens collected from across the Indo-Pacific to revise the taxonomy of a clade within the species-rich and ecologically dominant reef coral genus Acropora, which includes the species Acropora hyacinthus (Dana, 1846) and related species (termed the ‘hyacinthus species complex’). Using a collection of specimens comprising preserved tissues, field images and skeletal vouchers collected from 22 regions spanning the Indian and Pacific Oceans, we generated a phylogenomic reconstruction using targeted capture of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and exons, combined with examination of morphological characters, to generate primary species hypotheses (PSHs) for the clade. We then tested PSHs by calling Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) from the genomic dataset to provide additional lines of evidence to support the delineation of species within the clade and revise the taxonomy of the group. Our integrated approach recovered 16 lineages sufficiently delineated to be designated as distinct species. Based on comparison of our specimens to type material and geographical distributions, we remove nine species from synonymy: A. turbinata (Verrrill, 1864), A. surculosa (Dana, 1846), A. patella (Studer, 1878), A. flabelliformis (Milne-Edwards, 1860), A. conferta (Quelch, 1886), A pectinata (Brook, 1892), A. recumbens (Brook, 1892), A. sinensis (Brook, 1893) and A. bifurcata Nemenzo, 1971.
We also describe five new species: A. harriottae sp. nov. from south-eastern Australia, A. tersa sp. nov. from eastern Australia and the Western Pacific, A. nyinggulu sp. nov. from the eastern Indian Ocean, Indo-Australian Archipelago and southern Japan, A. uogi sp. nov. from the western Pacific and A. kalindae sp. nov. from north-eastern Australia. Our data reveal that the species richness within this clade of Acropora is far greater than currently assumed due to both overlooked provincialism across the Indo-Pacific as well as lumping of distinct sympatric species based on superficial morphological similarity. Given the key ecological role tabular Acropora play on Indo-Pacific reefs our findings have significant implications for reef conservation and management, for example, A. harriottae sp. nov. is restricted to a small geographical region of south-eastern Australia and is therefore at comparatively high risk of extinction."
Here is the entry for Acropora tersa:
Here is the entry for Acropora tersa:
The holotype of Acropora tersa was discovered in Little Stevens Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia, at a depth of 5 meters.
This colony morphology is described as tabulate, consisting of stepped plates with densely interconnected basal branches. The color of the coral is described as light pink with a white growth margin.
The paratype G85041 was recorded as having a terminal branching density of 2 cm², darker pink in color than the holotype, with the primary branches almost completely fused.
Regarding paratype G83221: density of terminal branching of 3 cm², pink-brown color and a large flat plate colony compared to the staggered plates of the holotype.
The describing scientists state that this stone coral occurs in the Indo-Australian Archipelago.
Etymology:
The species name “tersa” comes from Latin and means “neat,” referring to the orderly arrangement of the terminal branches and radial corallites compared to the often irregular arrangement of the terminal branches and radial corallites of Acropora hyacinthus, with which it occurs at least on the Great Barrier Reef.
Literature reference:
Rassmussen SH et al. (2025)
The tables have turned: taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of the Acropora hyacinthus (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) complex.
Invertebrate Systematics 39, IS24049. doi:10.1071/IS24049
© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY)
The more precise existing and sophisticated investigation methods become and the more new methods of identification are used, the greater and more astonishing the results.
We have translated the original summary of the article “The tables have turned: taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of
the Acropora hyacinthus (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) complex” 1:1 into German, which illustrates the changes that we will also implement in the Sea Water Encyclopedia:
"Genomic data have revealed that traditional coral taxonomy based on skeletal morphology does not accurately reflect the true diversity of, or systematic relationships within, the order Scleractinia. Here, we apply an integrated taxonomic approach combining molecular analysis and morphological comparison of type material with specimens collected from across the Indo-Pacific to revise the taxonomy of a clade within the species-rich and ecologically dominant reef coral genus Acropora, which includes the species Acropora hyacinthus (Dana, 1846) and related species (termed the ‘hyacinthus species complex’). Using a collection of specimens comprising preserved tissues, field images and skeletal vouchers collected from 22 regions spanning the Indian and Pacific Oceans, we generated a phylogenomic reconstruction using targeted capture of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and exons, combined with examination of morphological characters, to generate primary species hypotheses (PSHs) for the clade. We then tested PSHs by calling Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) from the genomic dataset to provide additional lines of evidence to support the delineation of species within the clade and revise the taxonomy of the group. Our integrated approach recovered 16 lineages sufficiently delineated to be designated as distinct species. Based on comparison of our specimens to type material and geographical distributions, we remove nine species from synonymy: A. turbinata (Verrrill, 1864), A. surculosa (Dana, 1846), A. patella (Studer, 1878), A. flabelliformis (Milne-Edwards, 1860), A. conferta (Quelch, 1886), A pectinata (Brook, 1892), A. recumbens (Brook, 1892), A. sinensis (Brook, 1893) and A. bifurcata Nemenzo, 1971.
We also describe five new species: A. harriottae sp. nov. from south-eastern Australia, A. tersa sp. nov. from eastern Australia and the Western Pacific, A. nyinggulu sp. nov. from the eastern Indian Ocean, Indo-Australian Archipelago and southern Japan, A. uogi sp. nov. from the western Pacific and A. kalindae sp. nov. from north-eastern Australia. Our data reveal that the species richness within this clade of Acropora is far greater than currently assumed due to both overlooked provincialism across the Indo-Pacific as well as lumping of distinct sympatric species based on superficial morphological similarity. Given the key ecological role tabular Acropora play on Indo-Pacific reefs our findings have significant implications for reef conservation and management, for example, A. harriottae sp. nov. is restricted to a small geographical region of south-eastern Australia and is therefore at comparatively high risk of extinction."
Here is the entry for Acropora tersa:
Here is the entry for Acropora tersa:
The holotype of Acropora tersa was discovered in Little Stevens Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia, at a depth of 5 meters.
This colony morphology is described as tabulate, consisting of stepped plates with densely interconnected basal branches. The color of the coral is described as light pink with a white growth margin.
The paratype G85041 was recorded as having a terminal branching density of 2 cm², darker pink in color than the holotype, with the primary branches almost completely fused.
Regarding paratype G83221: density of terminal branching of 3 cm², pink-brown color and a large flat plate colony compared to the staggered plates of the holotype.
The describing scientists state that this stone coral occurs in the Indo-Australian Archipelago.
Etymology:
The species name “tersa” comes from Latin and means “neat,” referring to the orderly arrangement of the terminal branches and radial corallites compared to the often irregular arrangement of the terminal branches and radial corallites of Acropora hyacinthus, with which it occurs at least on the Great Barrier Reef.
Literature reference:
Rassmussen SH et al. (2025)
The tables have turned: taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of the Acropora hyacinthus (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) complex.
Invertebrate Systematics 39, IS24049. doi:10.1071/IS24049
© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY)
