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

Endangered

Lobophyllia hemprichii

Lobophyllia hemprichii

Lobophyllia hemprichii is a stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae (order Scleractinia), recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Lobophyllia hemprichii
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Anthozoa · Scleractinia · Lobophylliidae · Lobophyllia

Appearance

Several adjacent colonies, sometimes of different colours, may grow together to form a composite colony. This coral is some shade of grey, pink, violet or yellowish-brown, sometimes a uniform colour or sometimes with contrasting regions.

Range and habitat

Lobophyllia hemprichii is native to the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Africa through the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal to Japan, Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia. It is most common at depths between 9 and 15 m (30 and 49 ft) but can occur down to about 50 m (164 ft).

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

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

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.

Lobophyllia hemprichii 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 Lobophyllia hemprichii, Wikidata item Q1867091. 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 Lobophyllia hemprichii?
Lobophyllia hemprichii is a stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae (order Scleractinia).
What is the conservation status of Lobophyllia hemprichii?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Lobophyllia hemprichii. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Lobophyllia hemprichii live?
Its range extends from the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Africa through the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal to Japan, Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia.
Why is Lobophyllia hemprichii 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 Lobophyllia hemprichii?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Lobophyllia hemprichii a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.