The corals Acropora palifera and Acropora cuneata are genetically and ecologically distinct

Two of the most abundant corals of the Great Barrier Reef Acropora cuneata and Acropora palifera , can be distinguished reliably by conventional taxonomic methods only if large specimens of both species are collected from the same uniform biotope. In this study gross and microscopic examination of the corallite structures of large coralla, collected from a reef crest biotope, were used to confirm the assignment of these specific names to 2 electrophoretically distinct groups of corals. Identifications based on genetic and morphological data gathered from small fragments of coralla collected from 5 different sites were in agreement for 2 sites within which skeletal data were adequate for taxonomic purposes (i.e. one reef crest and one outer lagoon site). However, specimens collected from the other 3 sites could be identified reliably only by using the electrophoretic data.