Anacropora forbesi

Anacropora forbesi is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from Madagascar, the east coast of Africa and the Red Sea to the northeastern Indian Ocean, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and the East China Sea. It also occurs in Palau and Micronesia. It grows on shallow water reefs, often in turbid waters, and in deeper areas between reefs on soft substrates. It sometimes inhabits exposed reef slopes. It occurs at depths down to about 25 m (80 ft).^[1] This is a vigorous fast-growing coral which can form lawn-like patches on the reef to the exclusion of other species.^[4]

This coral has a very wide range and is a common species. However, the genus is particularly prone to storm damage and coral bleaching, and all corals are threatened by reef degradation, climate change and ocean acidification. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern, while recommending further evaluation to check its level of resilience.^[1]