Thursday, October 11, 2012

[Coral • 2012] Acropora sirikitiae | Queen Sirikit's Staghorn Coral | ปะการังเขากวางพระบรมราชินีนาถ • A new species of staghorn coral (Scleractinia: Astrocoeniina: Acroporidae) from western Thailand


ปะการังเขากวางพระบรมราชินีนาถ
Acropora sirikitiae Wallace, Phongsuwan & Muir 2012

A new coral species Acropora sirikitiae sp. nov. is described from western Thailand (Andaman Sea) and named in honour of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, Queen Regent of Thailand. Distinguishing features of the new speciesinclude an arborescent growth mode and large radial corallites that vary in shape from distal to basal locations on branches. Diagnostic characters of the new species place it within the Acropora divaricata species group but it is the first species of the group to have an indeterminate growth mode. The species is common on the Andaman Sea reefs extending along Thailand’s western coastline, from the region of the Adang-Rawi island group in the south to the Surin Islands in the north. The new species, plus others newly recorded from Thailand during surveys reported in this paper, bring the number of Acropora and its sister genus Isopora in Thailand to 68.


Electron micrograph of branch tip of holotype showing axial and radial corallites of A. sirikitiae


Acropora sirikitiae: A newly described species 
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/acropora-sirikitiae-a-newly-described-species — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog 

Acropora sirikitiae newest species of staghorn coral described from western Thailand http://reefbuilders.com/2012/10/09/acropora-sirikitiae/ via @reefbuilders

Wallace, C.C., Phongsuwan, N. and Muir, P.R. 2012. A new species of staghorn coral, Acropora sirikitiae sp. nov. (Scleractinia: Astrocoeniina: Acroporidae) from western Thailand. Phuket  mar. biol. Cent. Res. Bull.