What is the name of the coral disease characterized by a white band of dead tissue?

The coral disease characterized by a white band of dead tissue is White band disease.

White band disease primarily affects Caribbean acroporid corals, especially elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). As living tissue dies, it exposes the bright white limestone skeleton beneath, creating a sharply defined band that usually advances from the base of a branch toward its tip.

The disease is not the same as coral bleaching, which expels the coral’s symbiotic algae while leaving tissue in place. It can also be confused with white plague, but white band disease is particularly associated with Acropora corals. Scientists have linked the disease to pathogenic bacteria, including Vibrio species, although its exact cause can vary and no single pathogen fully explains every case.

First reported widely in the Caribbean during the 1970s, white band disease contributed to severe losses of elkhorn and staghorn corals. Those branching corals provide shelter and nursery habitat for many reef animals, so their decline affects the wider reef ecosystem.