Home > Corals > Poritidae

Updated 3/17/2024

Family Poritidae

Lobe & Finger Corals

Massive or branching species easily recognized by their small hexagonal calices with a snowflake pattern.  Many are difficult to identify in the field since ID's are based upon minute skeletal structures hidden by the live polyp.  Lobe and Finger coral are dominant reef-forming species in Hawaii while the others are occasional in clear waters.

Large fleshy polyp species of tropical seas include Goniopora with 24 tentacles.  These do not occur in Hawaii or the Atlantic.

All coral skeletons illustrated are from scientific collections taken prior to 1998.



Butterflyfish bites


Shortbdied Blenny bites
   

HAWAII - ENDEMIC

Porites brighami  endemic.gif (1686 bytes)

BRIGHAM'S CORAL

 

Porites evermanni   

BROWN LOBE CORAL

Porites compressa 

FINGER CORAL

 

Porites duerdeni  endemic.gif (1686 bytes)

KNOBBY FINGER CORAL

 

Porites hawaiiensis 

HAWAIIAN PORITES

 

 

 

 


INDO-PACIFIC / HAWAII

Porites lobata

LOBE CORAL

 

Porites solida

SOLID CORAL

Porites monticulosa

PLATE & KNOB CORAL

 

Porites rus

PLATE & PILLAR CORAL

 

Porites lichen

LICHEN CORAL

 

 


INDO-PACIFIC

Porites cylindrica

SMOOTH FINGER CORAL

 

Porites attenuata

THIN FINGER CORAL

Porites nigrescens

ROUGH FINGER CORAL

 

Porites horizontalata

PITTED PORITES

 

Porites lutea

GIANT PORITES

 

Goniopora pedunculata

LESSER GONIOPORA

Goniopora somaliensis

SOMALIAN GONIOPORA

 

Goniopora djiboutiensis

COMMON GONIOPORA


JAPAN

Porites heronensis

HERON ISLAND PORITES

 


WESTERN ATLANTIC

Porites astreoides

MUSTARD HILL CORAL

 

Porites porites

CLUBTIP FINGER CORAL