Staghorn corals, genus Acropora, are the most obvious and important corals on coral reefs throughout the world, providing much of the beauty and variety seen on the reefs. This reference tool synthesizes all previous knowledge on the genus Acropora. It assesses all the known species worldwide, describing each in detail and illustrating the range of variabilty of form with habitat and geographic location. The classification, evolution and world-wide distribution of all species are reviewed and illustrated. This book is complemented by a separate CD-ROM containing a LucID-based key to all species of Acropora and photographic database of type specimens from museums around the world.