Characters: Colonies are usually upright bushes with short compact branches. Axial corallites are large and dome-shaped, with thick walls. Radial corallites have a wide range of sizes but are identical to axial corallites in shape and appearance. All corallites are smooth and rounded and have small openings. The coenosteum is smooth.
Colour: Cream or pale brown. Corallite centres are a distinct blue or pink, depending on depth.
Similar Species: Acropora plantaginea, which has relatively crowded radial corallites. See also A. verweyi, which has neat pocket-like radial corallites and A. maryae, which has thinner branches, does not form compact clumps and has less exsert radial corallites. See also A. rosaria and A. granulosa.
Habitat: Upper reef slopes.
Abundance: Common.
Taxonomic Note: This species was incorrectly synonymised with Acropora loripes by Veron and Wallace (1984) . The Acropora squarrosa of Wallace (1999) and Wallace, Done and Muir (2012) is Acropora maryae. According to Scheer and Pillai (1983) there are seven specimens labelled as A. squarrosa that belong to Ehrenberg's type series, but two of them are not A. squarrosa. Specimen 898 is probably A. forskali. Also there is another specimen labelled as A. forskali but with the same number (898). Wallace (1999) lists 898 as the holotype of A. squarrosa. Further nomenclatorial issues are noted in Veron (2000a).
Taxonomic References: Veron (2000a);
