Starry cup coral

Acanthastrea echinata

Corals and anemones
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth2–42 m
Water temperature-0–30 °C
Best monthsApril and May
How commonOccasional

About this species

Acanthastrea echinata, commonly known as the starry cup coral, is a species of corals in the family Lobophylliidae. It is a wide-ranging species found from the western Indian Ocean, throughout the Pacific Ocean, and eastward to the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. It can inhabit any reef habitat to depths of 50 m. This species, which may become threatened with the global decline of coral reefs, is a popular coral used in aquariums.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Acanthastrea echinata”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 22 records
February: 16 records
March: 5 records
April: 96 records
May: 61 records
June: 15 records
July: 9 records
August: 45 records
September: 14 records
October: 9 records
November: 1 records
December: 6 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 2–42 m · Deepest record: 66 m

0–10 m: 168 records
10–20 m: 34 records
20–30 m: 5 records
30–40 m: 45 records
40–50 m: 42 records
50–60 m: 3 records
60–70 m: 2 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of -0–30 °C

-2–0 °C: 1 records
0–2 °C: 0 records
2–4 °C: 0 records
4–6 °C: 0 records
6–8 °C: 0 records
8–10 °C: 0 records
10–12 °C: 0 records
12–14 °C: 0 records
14–16 °C: 0 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 2 records
22–24 °C: 48 records
24–26 °C: 131 records
26–28 °C: 147 records
28–30 °C: 212 records

Names and classification

English: Starry cup coral, Pineapple Coral, starry cup coral, Starry Cup Coral

Names in 3 more languages

Japanese: ヒメオオトゲキクメイシ
Thai: ปะการังดาวหนาม
Simplified Chinese: 大棘星珊瑚

Other scientific names: Acantastrea echinata, Acanthastraea echinata, Acanthastraea grandis, Acanthastraea hirsuta, Acanthastrea grandis, Acanthastrea hirsuta, Acanthastrea spinosa, Astraea (Fissicella) echinata, Astraea echinata, Astrea echinata, Favia hirsuta, Favites hirsuta, Prionastraea echinata, Prionastraea hirsuta, Prionastrea echinata

Similar species

Starry cup coral
Acanthastrea hemprichii
lobed cactus coral
Acanthastrea pachysepta
Starry cup coral
Acanthastrea brevis
Starry cup coral
Acanthastrea minuta
Starry cup coral
Acanthastrea rotundoflora
Starry cup coral
Acanthastrea subechinata

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
577 open-data records from 1846 to 2011.

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