Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Siderastrea siderea (Siderastrea siderea), recorded as Critically Endangered
Siderastrea siderea (Siderastrea siderea). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Siderastrea siderea

Siderastrea siderea

Siderastrea siderea is a stony coral in the family Siderastreidae.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Siderastrea siderea
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Anthozoa · Scleractinia · Rhizangiidae · Siderastrea

Appearance

The general colour is reddish brown.

Range and habitat

Siderastrea siderea is found in the Caribbean Sea and the northern Gulf of Mexico and round the coasts of southern Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda. It can occur at depths of up to 40 metres (130 ft) but is most common in less than 10 metres (33 ft) of water. It is found on rocks in various reef environments but not in tidal pools or muddy areas.

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.

Siderastrea siderea is Critically 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 Siderastrea siderea, Wikidata item Q3328352. 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 Siderastrea siderea?
Siderastrea siderea is a stony coral in the family Rhizangiidae (order Scleractinia).
What is the conservation status of Siderastrea siderea?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Siderastrea siderea. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Siderastrea siderea live?
Siderastrea siderea is found in the Caribbean Sea and the northern Gulf of Mexico and round the coasts of southern Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda.
Why is Siderastrea siderea 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 Siderastrea siderea?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Siderastrea siderea a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.