Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Danafungia scruposa (Danafungia scruposa), recorded as Endangered
Danafungia scruposa (Danafungia scruposa). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Danafungia scruposa

Danafungia scruposa

Danafungia scruposa is a stony coral in the family Fungiidae (order Scleractinia), recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Danafungia scruposa
Taxonomy
Anthozoa · Scleractinia · Fungiidae · Danafungia

Appearance

It is blue or brown in colour.

It was described by Klunzinger in 1879 and has a diameter of around 25 centimetres (10 in).

Range and habitat

D. Scruposa is found in the eastern and western Indian Ocean, the eastern central, northwestern and western central Pacific Ocean, Japan, the East China Sea, the Red Sea, and eastern Australia. No population figures are available for the species but it is believed to be common and is found at depths between 1 and 27 metres (3 and 89 ft) on the slopes of reefs. A 1991 study of specimens found that 51% were bleached.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Habits

A stony-coral colony is fixed. Growth, bleaching, and death happen in place. Collection and gear damage remove the skeleton as well as the tissue.

The colony stays where it settled. Water quality, light, and a stable bottom decide whether tissue remains on the skeleton.

In crisis

Warm-water bleaching, sedimentation, destructive fishing, and the curio trade sit behind many stony-coral badges. That is the group backdrop — confirm the official criteria for this name on the Red List.

Danafungia scruposa is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Danafungia scruposa, Wikidata item Q13511182. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

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Axolotl

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Quick answers

What is Danafungia scruposa?
Danafungia scruposa is a stony coral in the family Fungiidae (order Scleractinia).
What is the conservation status of Danafungia scruposa?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Danafungia scruposa. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Danafungia scruposa live?
D. Scruposa is found in the eastern and western Indian Ocean, the eastern central, northwestern and western central Pacific Ocean, Japan, the East China Sea, the Red Sea, and eastern Australia.
Why is Danafungia scruposa in crisis?
Warm-water bleaching, sedimentation, destructive fishing, and the curio trade sit behind many stony-coral badges. That is the group backdrop — confirm the official criteria for this name on the Red List.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Danafungia scruposa?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Danafungia scruposa a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.