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Acropora horrida

species of cnidarian

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Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionOct 1, 2025
Entity authorityQ3947988 ↗
Source-derived summary

Acropora horrida is a species of acroporid coral that was first described by James Dwight Dana in 1846. Found in tropical, shallow reefs in marine environments, it occurs near fringing reefs around turbid water, at depths of 5 to 20 m (16 to 66 ft). It is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, and it is thought to have a decreasing population. It is not common and found over a large area, and is listed under CITES Appendix II.

Description

Acropora horrida forms in colonies, which are mainly open branched. It is light blue, dark blue, light yellow, or brown in colour, with white or pale blue polyps. The main branches contain an unorganised structure of branchlets, based on examples in water showing turbidity. However, in clear water, the branchlets are short, making the structure appear bristly. The corallites are rough and irregularly placed, and tentacles enlarge during the day. There are no similar species within genus Acropora. It is found in marine, tropical, shallow reefs, mainly in turbid water near fringing reefs.

Editorial summary

“Acropora horrida” enters the record as species of cnidarian. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Acropora, horrida and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1846—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Acropora, horrida and species.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Acropora horrida” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Acropora, horrida and species provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 1, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3947988. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1846.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

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  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Acropora horrida”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Acropora horrida primary sources, Acropora horrida archive and Acropora research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Acropora horrida”?
  2. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Acropora horrida” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.