Hedgehog Coral

zooxanthellate

Colonies are usually encrusting or form thick leaves. They commonly develop a degree of branching, often from an uppermost edge of an encrusting or leafy plate. Calices are 4 to 7 mm in diameter, and are spaced less than a corallite diameter apart. Costae run between septa and are beaded. There are no, or very reduced, paliform lobes. This is a very common species. It is found on the reef flat in severe environmental conditions and on both exposed and turbid reef slopes at all depths to over 30 m. (Sheppard, 1998 ). Colonies are laminar, bifacial, sometimes forming contorted branches. Corallites have calices 3.5-4.5 mm in diameter. Columellae are large, and paliform lobes are not well developed. Primary septa may be very thick and are always exsert. Colour: pale cream to dark brown or green. Abundance: usually uncommon (Veron, 1986). Generally forms encrusting plates, though may occur as contorted branches with irregularly spaced, obvious and prominent corallites (7 mm across). Colour: varies from cream to dark brown, green or bluish-grey. Habitat: diverse (Richmond, 1997). Tropical Indo-Pacific in Kalk (1958).