We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), issue a final rule designating critical habitat for elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and staghorn (A. cervicornis) corals, which we listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), on … Threatened-TERRESTRIAL INVERTEBRATES. The study found that 10 percent of the Caribbean’s 62 reef-building corals were under threat, including staghorn and elkhorn corals. He is currently working with the Smithsonian Institution documenting new Caribbean deep-water species and building a one of a kind database. This species of coral is found in Southern Florida, the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean and survives in water temperatures of 26-30o C. (No-take zones were put in place for elkhorn and staghorn corals, the two Caribbean coral species listed in 2006.) Elkhorn Coral has become highly endangered due to a combination of factors. Endangered Species Act (ESA) on May 9, 2006. Like staghorn coral, elkhorn coral has been listed as federally threatened under the Endangered Species Act. For example, many coral diseases have emerged in recent decades, including the ‘white band’ disease that attacks all Western Atlantic species of Acropora palmata. Endangered Elkhorn Coral - ABOUT Avid outdoorsman and underwater photographer, Barry Brown has spent the last 12 years documenting life above and below water in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. Acropora palmata, the Elkhorn Coral, is the quintessential Caribbean Coral Reef species.This species was once so abundant that entire regions of the reef were called the ‘Palmata Zone’ and it was important to know where the palmata zones … In 2006, elkhorn and staghorn corals (above) were protected under the Endangered Species Act in response to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity. Common. Common. Threatened-Staghorn coral. Colonies of elkhorn coral are relatively fast growing, with branch length increasing about 2 to 4 inches per year. The earlier, local roots of declines of elkhorn and staghorn corals in the 1950s and 1960s highlight the urgency of mitigating local human impacts on reefs to allow these corals to recover. These used to be the most prominent species but are now candidates to be listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Elkhorn and staghorn corals were once the most abundant and important species on Atlantic/Caribbean coral reefs in terms of building reef structure. Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata) is a critically endangered species of coral. Elkhorn coral. In 2012, Earthjustice, representing CBD, filed a lawsuit seeking greater protections from fishing for threatened coral reefs in the Caribbean. Elkhorn coral actively fighting off diseases on reef ... which has resulted in them being classified as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. It can be brown or yellowish- brown in colour and the branches can grow up to 3.7 m long. Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and staghorn (A. cervicornis) corals were listed as threatened under the U.S. If you are lucky enough to observe them in the park, cherish the sighting and please give them space (interence is prohibited). A new study led by researchers at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science looked at the immune system of elkhorn coral … Colonies reach maximum size in about 10 to 12 years. The following park animals are listed as threatened or endangered. Rare-Endangered. Pillar coral.