It is found on the back fringes of reefs in shallow water in the western Indo-Pacific Ocean.

The polyps protrude from little cup-shaped depressions called corallites which are widely spaced on the branches and which have elongated lower lips.

[2][3] Acropora pulchra is found in the western Indo-Pacific region, its range extending from the Gulf of Aden to Southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and Australia.

They are particularly sensitive to sediment, pollution and algal blooms, which cloud the water and reduce the amount of incoming sunlight.

These trials were successful but transplants were adversely affected by excess sedimentation and tended to grow more slowly than control corals.