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

Endangered

Pectinia lactuca

Pectinia lactuca

Pectinia lactuca is a stony coral in the family Merulinidae (order Scleractinia), recorded as Endangered and tied to Australia, Indonesia, and New Caledonia.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Pectinia lactuca
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Anthozoa · Scleractinia · Merulinidae · Pectinia

Appearance

The color of these corals varies between gray, brown and green.

Range and habitat

Pectinia lactuca is recorded from Australia, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Japan, Philippines, and Thailand.

GBIF currently lists 1,096 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.

Pectinia lactuca 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 French Wikipedia article on Pectinia lactuca, translated and retold in English, plus Wikidata item Q3945696 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.

Same genus

Photograph of Pectinia alcicornis (Pectinia alcicornis), recorded as EndangeredEN

Pectinia alcicornis

Pectinia alcicornis
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 Pectinia lactuca?
Pectinia lactuca is a stony coral in the family Merulinidae (order Scleractinia).
What is the conservation status of Pectinia lactuca?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Pectinia lactuca. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Pectinia lactuca live?
Pectinia lactuca is a coral belonging to the family Merulinidae or the family Pectiniidae.
Why is Pectinia lactuca 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 Pectinia lactuca?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Pectinia lactuca a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.