Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) photographed in Haiti.

Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis) — Staghorn coral in Haiti.

Creator: [Nick Hobgood](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Nhobgood), Commons account Nhobgood. CC BY-SA 3.0. [CC BY-SA 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

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Species record

Staghorn Coral

Acropora cervicornis

Explore the Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

Staghorn coral is a branching reef-building coral of clear, shallow Caribbean waters. It can form dense thickets that shelter fish and other reef animals, and it receives food from algae in its tissues as well as capturing plankton with its polyps.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Cnidarians
  3. Class: Corals and sea anemones
  4. Order: Scleractinia
  5. Family: Acroporidae
  6. Genus: Acropora

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
clear, shallow Caribbean coral reefs, patch reefs, bank reefs, spur-and-groove reef habitats
Selected regions
North America, South America

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • A broken staghorn branch can reattach to a hard surface and grow into a new colony.

More images

Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), identified on the Commons file page.

Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis) — Species-identified Commons image.

Creator: [Joeschmitty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Joeschmitty). CC BY 2.5; also GFDL with disclaimers. [CC BY 2.5 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY 2.5; also GFDL with disclaimers

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Sources and attribution