According to the WoRMS online database (accessed January 2023), the taxonomic validity of this species is uncertain or disputed by different experts, including Veron et al. (2016). It was suspected to be a synonym of Acropora humilis by Wallace (1999) and it was not included in the taxonomic revision of Acropora species by Wallace et al. (2012). Emre Turak (pers. comm. 2008) examined a photo of the type specimen and does not consider that the name A. cophodactyla applies to this species although he considers it distinct from A. humilis and it is possibly a new species. It is still considered as valid in Corals of the World despite recognising the dissimilarity between the holotype and the images. It is also considered as valid in Sealife database. Further detailed study is warranted and may indicate that this species should be given a new name.

There is high taxonomic uncertainty associated with this species. Little is known on its distribution, population, ecology and potential threats; therefore, it is listed as Data Deficient.

If valid, this species is found in the central Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asia, the Solomon Islands, and the oceanic west Pacific. It is found in Fiji (Fenner 2006; 2007), the Andaman Islands, and American Samoa (D. Fenner pers. comm. 2008). 

The depth range is 0-12 m.

This species is generally uncommon (Veron et al. 2016, DeVantier and Turak 2017).

There is no species-specific population information available across its entire range, however, there is evidence that overall cover of Acropora has declined in many regions, including Australia (Hughes et al. 2020, Dietzel et al. 2020), French Polynesia (Moritz et al. 2021), Mauritius (Elliott et al. 2018), Thailand (Yeemin et al. 2013), Chagos Archipelago (Head et al. 2019), Lakshadweep Archipelago (Yadav et al. 2018), Indonesia (Cleary et al. 2014), Japan (Hongo and Yamano 2013), Taiwan (Kuo et al. 2012), Arabian/Persian Gulf (Riegl et al. 2018) and these genus-level declines indicate population declines are highly likely for all Acropora species (with the possible exception of tabular Acropora which have been shown to recover quickly after disturbance; Johns et al. 2014, Mellin et al. 2019, Richards et al. 2021).

This species occurs in shallow, tropical reef environments on exposed upper reef slopes and flats.

The age at first maturity of most Acropora species is typically 4 years; however, it can vary between 3 and 8 years (Harrison and Wallace 1990, Iwao et al. 2010, Baria et al. 2012, Montoya-Maya et al. 2014, Ligson and Cabaitan 2021). Based on average sizes and growth rates, we also infer that the average length of one generation is 10 years. Longevity is not known, but is likely to be greater than 10 years. Therefore, any population decline rates estimated for the purposes of this Red List assessment are measured over a time period of 30 years.

This species is particularly susceptible to bleaching, disease, predation and other threats and therefore population declines are predicted across its entire distribution range. Populations of this species in southeast Sulawesi (Haapkylä et al. 2009) and American Samoa (Aeby et al. 2011) have been reported to be susceptible to white syndrome disease. 

In general, the major threat to Acropora corals is global climate change, in particular, temperature extremes leading to bleaching induced mortality, and an increased susceptibility to disease (Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007, Hughes et al. 2017; 2018; 2019). Bleaching can lead to mortality and a reduction in both coral cover and effective population sizes. It also disrupts coral reproduction. Regional coral extinction events following thermally anomalous events are increasingly reported (Sheppard et al. 2020, Richards et al. 2021, Muir et al. 2021). In addition, climate change is predicted to lead to an increased severity of ENSO (El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation) events and storm intensity, and longer-term changes in ocean chemistry impacting calcification, along with an increase in the severity of flood and fire events impacting coastal catchment areas.

This species has a corymbose growth form and is susceptible to predation by the crown-of-thorns starfish. Crown-of-thorns (COTS) (Acanthaster planci) which are found throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the Red Sea. Crown-of-thorns are voracious predators of reef-building corals, with a preference for branching and tabular corals such as Acropora species. Populations of the crown-of-thorns starfish have greatly increased since the 1970s and have been known to consume large areas of coral reef habitat. Increased breakouts of COTS has become a major threat to some species, and have contributed to the overall decline and reef destruction in the Indo-Pacific region. The effects of such an outbreak include the reduction of abundance and surface cover of living coral, reduction of species diversity and composition, and overall reduction in habitat area. Crown-of-thorn outbreaks are particularly concerning in coral communities that are recovering from disturbances such as coral bleaching as feeding on remnant survivors and juveniles can further inhibit community recovery (Haywood et al. 2019). 

Coral disease has emerged as a serious threat to coral reefs worldwide and a major cause of reef deterioration (Weil et al. 2006). The numbers of diseases and coral species affected, as well as the distribution of diseases have all increased dramatically within the last two decades (Porter et al. 2001, Green and Bruckner 2000, Sutherland et al. 2004, Weil 2004). Coral disease epizootics have resulted in significant losses of coral cover and were implicated in the dramatic decline of acroporids in the Florida Keys (Aronson and Precht 2001, Porter et al. 2001, Patterson et al. 2002). In the Indo-Pacific, disease is also on the rise with disease outbreaks recently reported from the Great Barrier Reef (Willis et al. 2004, Haapkyla et al. 2013), Indonesia (Haapkyla et al. 2007, Subhan et al. 2020), Thailand (Lamb et al. 2014), Marshall Islands (Jacobson 2006), Micronesia (Myers and Raymundo 2009), American Samoa (Work and Rameyer 2005), and the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (Aeby et al. 2006), the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Preston and Richards 2021), the Maldives (Montano et al. 2015), and the Persian Gulf (Aeby et al. 2020). Increased coral disease levels on the GBR were correlated with increased ocean temperatures (Boyett et al. 2007, Howells et al. 2020) supporting the prediction that disease levels will be increasing with higher sea surface temperatures. As environmental conditions continue to change, it is predicted that conditions on temperate reefs will become favourable for coral diseases and thermodependent bacteria (Bally and Garrabou 2007, Brodnicke et al. 2019) and the geographical range of tropical coral diseases will extend (Vergés et al. 2019). 

Ocean acidification represents a key threat to coral reefs by reducing the calcification rate of framework builders (Langdon et al. 2000). Acidification may act in synergy with global warming to increase bleaching response and decrease productivity in corals (Anthony et al. 2008). Ocean acidification has also been shown to negatively affect reproduction and multiple early developmental stages of corals that are critical to reef persistence and resilience (Albright 2011, Webster et al. 2013).

Localized threats to corals include fisheries, human development (industry, settlement, tourism, and transportation), changes in native species dynamics (competitors, predators, pathogens and parasites), invasive species (competitors, predators, pathogens and parasites), dynamite fishing, chemical fishing, pollution from agriculture and industry, domestic pollution, sedimentation, and human recreation and tourism activities. The severity of these combined threats to the global population of each individual species is not known.

All stony corals are listed on CITES Appendix II. All stony corals (Scleractinia) fall under Annex B of the European Union Wildlife Trade Regulations (EU 2019), and have done so since 1997. Furthermore, several countries (India, Israel, Somalia, Djibouti, Solomon Islands and the Philippines) at various stages have banned either the trade or export of CITES II listed species, which includes all stony corals, since 1999 (UNEP 2020). Fiji, Indonesia and Malaysia currently (2020) have quotas for the number of wild Acropora species in general for export, which range from 3,000 to 377,500 pieces per annum depending on the country (UNEP-WCMC 2020).

Taxonomic research is needed.