About
Ranked the number 1 EDGE Coral, Siderastrea glynni is the only member of its genus found in the Eastern Pacific and is endemic to a tiny area off the Panamanian coast. This species is currently under revision as it is thought to be a junior synonym of Siderastrea siderea
Five colonies were discovered in 1992 but no new recordings have since been put forward. Currently, the remaining colonies reside in captivity at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, also in Panama. It is unknown whether additional wild populations of this species remain undiscovered, however fairly rigorous surveying has so far proved unsuccessful. As a result, this coral is considered Critically Endangered. However, it is thought that these colonies resulted from transferred colonies of Siderastrea siderea in the Caribbean, during the setup of a field experiment early into the 1980s.
- Order: Scleractinia
- Family: Siderastreidae
- Population: Unknown
- Trend: stable
- Colony Size: up to 3 meters
- Depth Range (m): 7 - 9
EDGE Score
Distribution
This species is endemic to the Pacific coast of Panama and is only known off Uraba Island in Panama Bay.
Habitat and Ecology
Siderastrea glynni is characterized by its spherical shape and light reddish-brown colour. Known colonies are reported to occur on sand-coral rubble reef slopes to a depth of 8.5m.