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Pavona diffluens coral

Pavona diffluens coral

Pavona diffluens

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Protected Status

ESA Threatened - Foreign
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
Region
Foreign
See Regulatory Actions
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About the Species

Pavona diffluens is a species of coral likely found along part of the east African coast, the Red Sea, and the northwestern Indian Ocean.

Pavona diffluens is listed as threatened throughout its range under the Endangered Species Act.

Learn more about Pavona diffluens (PDF, 3 pages) 

Population Status

Relative localized abundance refers to how commonly a species is observed on surveys in a localized area. Veron (2014) reports that Pavona diffluens occupied 0.47 percent of 2,984 dive sites sampled in 30 ecoregions of the Indo-Pacifc. It was given an abundance rating on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) at each site where it occurred, based on how common it was at that site. Pavona diffluens had a mean abundance rating of 1.43. Based on this semi-quantitative system, the species’ abundance was characterized as “rare.”

Absolute overall abundance refers to a rough qualitative minimum estimate of the total number of colonies of a species that currently exist throughout its range. These estimates were calculated based on results from Richards et al. (2008) and Veron (2014). The absolute abundance of Pavona diffluens is likely at least millions of colonies.

Protected Status

ESA Threatened - Foreign

  • Throughout Its Range

Appearance

Colonies of Pavona diffluens are sub-massive and tan-colored.

Where They Live

Based on confirmed observations and strong predictions of occurrence in areas that have not yet been surveyed sufficiently, Pavona diffluens is
likely distributed along part of the east African coast, the Red Sea, and the northwestern Indian Ocean.

Pavona diffluens occurs in at least upper reef slopes, mid-slopes, lower reef crests, reef flats, and lagoons in depths of 5 to at least 20 meters.

Lifespan & Reproduction

The reproductive characteristics of Pavona diffluens have not been determined, however, 6 other Pavona species are known to be gonochoristic (individual colonies have either male or female gametes, not both) broadcast spawners.

Threats

Ocean Warming

The species’ distribution is limited to parts of the western Indian Ocean and Red Sea where projections of local threats and general effects of climate change are both frequent and severe over the foreseeable future. The Red Sea in particular is projected to experience frequent warming events sooner than most other parts of the Indo-Pacific region.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Order Scleractinia
Family Agariciidae
Genus Pavona
Species diffluens

In the Spotlight

Management Overview

The Pavona diffluens is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). It is also listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Recovery Planning and Implementation

Under the ESA, NOAA Fisheries is required to develop and implement recovery plans for the conservation and survival of listed species. NOAA Fisheries has developed a recovery outline to serve as an interim guidance document to direct recovery efforts, including recovery planning, for the 15 species of ESA-listed threatened Indo-Pacific corals (herein referred to as the 15 listed corals) until a full recovery plan is developed and approved. The recovery outline presents a preliminary strategy for recovery of the 15 listed corals and recommends high priority actions to stabilize and recover the species.

Recovery Planning Workshop

We held a recovery planning workshop for the 15 listed corals over the course of four 3-hour virtual sessions in May 2021. We announced the workshop in the U.S. Federal Register (86 FR 15650) on March 24, 2021, and it was open to the public. We held duplicate meetings for each session’s discussion points to accommodate participants from different time zones.

The purpose of the workshop was to connect stakeholders and experts from a range of relevant disciplines to:

  • Gather information and ideas on recovery approaches that address the challenges relevant to recovery of the 15 listed corals 
  • Develop recovery criteria that need to be met to delist each of the species 
  • Identify recovery actions to reduce and/or ameliorate threats to the 15 listed corals 

Participants represented a variety of areas of expertise from a range of relevant disciplines, including the listed coral species’ biology/ecology, threats to the species, the species’ habitat and ecosystem, recovery planning, and coral reef conservation and management.

Recovery Contacts

Critical Habitat Designation

Critical habitat only applies to U.S. waters. Of the 15 listed Indo-Pacific coral species, seven species have been recorded in U.S. waters (Acropora globiceps, A. jacquelineae, A. retusa, A. speciosa, Euphyllia paradivisa, Isopora crateriformis, and Seriatopora aculeata). Critical habitat was proposed for these seven species on November 27, 2020, in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas.

Learn more about the Pacific Islands proposed coral critical habitat

Critical Habitat Contact

5-Year Review

On January 7, 2021, we announced our intention to conduct 5-year reviews for the 15 listed Indo-Pacific coral species, as required by the ESA to ensure that the listing classifications of species are accurate.

Learn more about the Indo-Pacific reef-building corals 5-year review

5-year Review Contact

Key Actions and Documents

Actions & Documents

Announcement of a Recovery Planning Workshop for the 15 ESA-Listed Indo-Pacific Corals

We are convening a workshop to solicit facts and information from stakeholders and experts to inform recovery planning for 15 species of threatened Indo-Pacific reef corals listed under the Endangered Species Act. We will not be asking for a consensus…
Information Gathering
,
Pacific Islands
Published

Initiation of a 5-Year Review of Indo-Pacific Reef-building Corals

We, NMFS, announce the initiation of a 5-year review for 15 Indo-Pacific reef-building corals (Acropora globiceps, Acropora jacquelineae, Acropora lokani, Acropora pharaonis, Acropora retusa, Acropora rudis, Acropora speciosa, Acropora tenella,…
Information Gathering
,
Pacific Islands
Published

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

More Information

Science Overview

Documents

Document

ESA-Listed Indo-Pacific Coral Species Recovery Planning Workshop Summary

Recovery planning workshop summary report that was held in May 2021 for the 15 U.S. ESA-listed Indo…

Pacific Islands
Document

15 Indo-Pacific Coral Species Recovery Outline

This document serves as an interim guidance document to direct recovery efforts for 15 Indo-Pacific…

Pacific Islands
Document

Status Review Report of 82 Candidate Coral Species Petitioned Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

On October 20, 2009, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the National Marine Fisheries…

Pacific Islands
More Documents