Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Crispy crust coral (Merulina scabricula), recorded as Endangered
Crispy crust coral (Merulina scabricula). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Crispy crust coral

Merulina scabricula

Crispy crust coral is a stony coral in the family Merulinidae (order Scleractinia) — Merulina scabricula, recorded as Endangered and tied to Australia, New Caledonia, and Fiji.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Merulina scabricula
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Anthozoa · Scleractinia · Merulinidae · Merulina

The stony coral

It was first described by James Dwight Dana in 1846.

Merulinid corals include crispy, plated, and valley-forming colonies on Indo-Pacific reefs.

Stony corals secrete a hard calcium-carbonate skeleton. A named ‘species’ on a reef is a colony of polyps, often hosting zooxanthellae that need sunlit, relatively clear water.

Range and habitat

Crispy crust coral is recorded from Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, and American Samoa.

GBIF currently lists 585 occurrence points. Those points follow where people logged the taxon — museum drawers and surveys included — not a closed range boundary.

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.

Crispy crust coral 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 Cebuano Wikipedia article on Merulina scabricula, translated and retold in English, plus Wikidata item Q3934249 and GBIF occurrence geography. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Confirm status and range on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

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Quick answers

What is Crispy crust coral?
Crispy crust coral is a coral.
What is the conservation status of Crispy crust coral?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Merulina scabricula. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Crispy crust coral live?
Crispy crust coral is a coral.
Why is Crispy crust coral 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 Merulina scabricula?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Crispy crust coral a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.