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

Endangered

Orbicella faveolata

Orbicella faveolata

Orbicella faveolata is a colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Orbicella faveolata
Taxonomy
Anthozoa · Scleractinia · Merulinidae · Orbicella

Appearance

The colour is usually a pale brown, yellowish green and grey but may be deep brown, with fluorescent green highlights.

The corallites, the stony cups in that the polyps sit, are about 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter and cover the entire surface of the coral.

Range and habitat

Orbicella faveolata occurs in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, its range among them Florida, united states, the Bahamas, Venezuela and possibly Bermuda. It is found on both the back reef and fore reef slopes of fringing reefs at depths of up to 40 m (131 ft). Orbicella faveolata is a colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae.

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

Orbicella faveolata is native to the coral coast of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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.

Orbicella faveolata 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 Orbicella faveolata, Wikidata item Q59421152. 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.

Same genus

Photograph of Orbicella annularis (Orbicella annularis), recorded as EndangeredEN

Orbicella annularis

Orbicella annularis
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is Orbicella faveolata?
Orbicella faveolata is a stony coral in the family Merulinidae (order Scleractinia).
What is the conservation status of Orbicella faveolata?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Orbicella faveolata. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Orbicella faveolata live?
Orbicella faveolata occurs in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, its range among them Florida, united states, the Bahamas, Venezuela and possibly Bermuda.
Why is Orbicella faveolata in crisis?
Orbicella faveolata is native to the coral coast of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Orbicella faveolata?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Orbicella faveolata a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.