Lobed Star Coral

Lobed Star Coral

Orbicella annularis

lobed star coral illustration

Protected Status

ESA Threatened
Throughout Its Range

Quick Facts

Weight
Not relevant for corals
Lifespan
Up to hundreds of years
Threats
Climate change, including ocean warming and ocean acidification, Diseases, Land-based sources of pollution, Habitat degradation
Location
Southeast
See Regulatory Actions
Picture of lobed star coral.

About the Species

The lobed star coral is a species of coral that lives in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is the most thoroughly studied and most abundant species of reef-building coral in the Caribbean to date. It grows into varying colony shapes (heads, columns, plates) in response to differing light conditions. Lobed star coral is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

NOAA Fisheries is committed to conserving and protecting lobed star coral. Our scientists and partners use a variety of innovative techniques to study, learn more about, and protect this species.

Learn more about lobed star coral

Protected Status

ESA Threatened

  • Throughout Its Range

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Order Scleractinia
Family Merulinidae
Genus Orbicella
Species annularis

Management Overview

Lobed star coral is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Regulatory Actions & Documents

Listing of 20 Reef-Building Coral Species Under the ESA

We, NOAA Fisheries, are publishing this final rule to implement our final determination to list the following 20 species as threatened: five in the Caribbean (Dendrogyra cylindrus, Orbicella annularis, Orbicella faveolata, Orbicella franksi, and
Final Rule
,
Pacific Islands
Southeast
Effective