Species Profile
Environmental Conservation Online System

Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata)

Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Acroporidae

Listing Status:   

Where Listed: WHEREVER FOUND

General Information

Elkhorn coral is a large, branching coral with thick and sturdy antler-like branches. Colonies are fast growing: branches increase in length by 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) per year, with colonies reaching their maximum size in approximately 10-12 years. Over the last 10,000 years, elkhorn coral has been one of the three most important Caribbean corals contributing to reef growth and development and providing essential fish habitat.

Map of Species occurrence

For the best experience, make sure that javascript is enabled and that you have the Adobe Flash Player installed Click here to download and install the Flash Player

Click here to see static map image

Map Image Map of Species occurrence Map of Species occurrence

This map represents our best available information about where a species is currently known to or or is believed to occur; however, it should NOT be used as an official species list for Section 7 Consultation purposes. To obtain an official species list for this purpose, please visit the Information, Planning, and Conservation (IPaC) System (click here: http://ecos.fws.gov/ipac)



This species is listed wherever it is found, but
    • States/US Territories in which the Elkhorn coral is known to or is believed to occur:  Florida , Puerto Rico , Virgin Islands
    • US Counties in which the Elkhorn coral is known to or is believed to occur:  View All
    • Countries in which the the Elkhorn coral is known to occur:  Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela
Current Listing Status Summary
Status Date Listed Lead Region Where Listed
06/08/2006 National Marine Fisheries Service (Region 11)

» Federal Register Documents

Most Recent Federal Register Documents (Showing 3 of 3)
Date Citation Page Title
11/26/2008 73 FR 72210 72240 Critical Habitat for Threatened Elkhorn and Staghorn Corals; Final Rule
04/04/2007 72 FR 16284 16286 Adding Four Marine Taxa to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Southern Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn (Acropora palmata) corals, and the Southern Resident killer whale DPS (Orcinus orca)
05/09/2006 70 FR 26852 26872 NFMS, Final Listing Determinations for Elkhorn Coral and Staghorn Coral

» Recovery

Recovery Plan Information Search

No recovery information is available for the Elkhorn coral.

» Critical Habitat

Current Critical Habitat Documents (Showing 1 of 1)
Date Citation Page Title Document Type Status
11/26/2008 73 FR 72210 72240 Critical Habitat for Threatened Elkhorn and Staghorn Corals; Final Rule Final Rule Final designated

To learn more about critical habitat please see http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov

» Conservation Plans

No conservation plans have been created for Elkhorn coral

» Petitions

No petition findings have been published for the Elkhorn coral.

» Life History

No Life History information has been entered into this system for this species.

» Other Resources

NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

Last updated: February 17, 2013