Acropora paniculata

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Characters: Colonies are large plates or tables which are 25 millimetres thick and frequently over one metre across. Branchlets are short and compact. Axial and incipient axial corallites crowd the upper surface and are long, thin and tubular. Radial corallites are immersed on lower branchlets. Colour: Cream, grey or blue. Similar species: Acropora jacquelineae, which has finer corallites. See also A. cytherea, which forms thinner plates and has branchlets which do not terminate in masses of tubular corallites. Habitat: Upper reef slopes. Abundance: Uncommon.

Source reference: Veron (2000). Taxonomic references: Veron and Wallace (1984), Wallace (1999). Identification guides: Veron (1986), Nishihira and Veron (1995).