Family Poritidae

Lobe & Finger Corals

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

 

HAWAII

Porites brighami     endemic.gif (1686 bytes)

Hanauma Bay, Oahu, 15 feet

 

Hanauma Bay, Oahu, 15 feet

Puako, Hawaii, 15 feet

 

Hanauma Bay, Oahu, 15 feet

Firehouse, Oahu, 10 feet

 

Firehouse, Oahu, 10 feet

Firehouse, Oahu, 10 feet

 

Makapu'u tidepool, Oahu

Makapu'u tidepool, Oahu

Puako, Hawaii, 15 feet

BRIGHAM'S CORAL

Fairly common as small knobby encrustations in shallow water exposed to surge.  The large calices are very deep with solid walls.  Color is usually grayish brown with blue or purple tones.  Endemic to Hawaii.

Porites solida

Koloa Landing, Kaua'i, 30 feet

 

Koloa Landing, Kaua'i, 30 feet

Kewalo, Oahu, 55 feet

 

Kewalo, Oahu, 55 feet

Kewalo Hump, Oahu, 90 feet

 

Kewalo Hump, Oahu, 90 feet

Kewalo Hump, Oahu, 90 feet

Kewalo Hump, Oahu, 90 feet

SOLID CORAL

Rare in shallow water.  Yellow in color and smoother colony form than Lobe coral.  Calices are deep with solid walls.  Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific.

Porites compressa    

Kapoho, Hawaii, 5 feet

 

Finger Coral, Puako, 45 feet, Yuko Stender

Puako, Hawaii, 40 feet

Kure Atoll, 8 feet

 

He'eia, Oahu, 4 feet

Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 3 feet

 

Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 3 feet

Puako, Hawaii, 40 feet

 

Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 3 feet

Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 6 feet

 

Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 3 feet

Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 5 feet

FINGER CORAL

One of three dominant corals in Hawaii.  Prefers quiet shallow bays as well as deeper water with little surge.  The open water form is light gray and finger-like, creating extensive thickets.  The lagoon form in Kaneohe Bay is yellowish green with short fused branches creating hemispherical mounds.  Calices are shallow and the outer wall is not sharp and elevated.  Endemic to Hawaii.  Replaced by P. cylindrica in the Indo-Pacific.

Porites duerdeni    endemic.gif (1686 bytes)

Honaunau, Hawaii, 30 feet

 

Honaunau, Hawaii, 30 feet

Keauhou, Hawaii, 90 feet

Honaunau, Hawaii, 30 feet

  KNOBBY FINGER CORAL

Rare along the Kona coast of Hawaii.  Short green fingers with blunt and slightly inflated ends form large hemispherical colonies at shallow scuba depths.   Calices are quite deep and the outer wall is sharp and elevated.  Endemic to Hawaii.

Porites lutea

Kaiwi Point, Hawaii, 50 feet

 

Mahukona, Hawaii, 40 feet

Hanauma Bay, Oahu, 50 feet

 

Kewalo Pipe, Oahu, 50 feet

Kewalo, Oahu, 35 feet

 

Kewalo, Oahu, 35 feet

Puako, Hawaii, 35 feet

  BROWN LOBE CORAL

Fairly common in shallow water.  Forms large bommies that are brown to purplish gray in color.  The colony surface is composed of inflated, often squared-off lobes.  Calices are very shallow and the walls are not sharp.  Formerly known as P. evermanni.  Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific.

Puako, Hawaii, 35 feet

Mokolea Islet, Oahu, 30 feet

Porites lobata & P. lutea

Porites lobata

Hanauma Bay, Oahu, 40 feet

 

Mahukona, Hawaii, 30 feet

Puako, Hawaii, 25 feet

 

Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, 30 feet

Kewalo, Oahu, 25 feet

 

Kewalo, Oahu, 25 feet

Kewalo, Oahu, 25 feet

 

Parrotfish bites, Sharks Cove, Oahu, 20 feet

 

UV stress, Kapoho, Hawaii, 5 feet

 

Midway Lagoon

Distressed colony, Kewalo Pipe, Oahu

Midway Lagoon

    LOBE CORAL

An abundant and variable species.  Typically bright green but occasionally tan with blue or purple cast.  The colony surface is usually composed of rounded to conical lobes with a tendency to form multiple peaks. Small calices are deep and the walls sharp and well-defined.  Hawaii, Indo-Pacific, and Tropical Eastern Pacific.

Porites lichen

Haleiwa Trench, Oahu, 20 feet

 

Haleiwa Trench, Oahu, 20 feet

Kure Atoll, NWHI, 60 feet

Kure Atoll, NWHI, 60 feet

 

LICHEN CORAL

Rare in Hawaii except for a few scattered locations such as Haleiwa Trench on Oahu and Kure Atoll, where it is abundant.  Very similar to Lobe Coral except it forms thin plates.

Porites cf. bernardi

Laysan Island, 15 feet

 

Laysan Island, 15 feet

Laysan Island, 15 feet

 

Sharks Cove, Oahu, 25 feet

Sharks Cove, Oahu, 25 feet

 

Makapu'u tidepool, Oahu

  FALSE LICHEN CORAL

A rare encrusting species found in small crevices on vertical walls exposed to surge.  The calices are very small and the colony only reaches a few inches in diameter, the area between calices covered with tiny spines.

Porites monticulosa

Honaunau, Hawaii, 60 feet

 

Honaunau, Hawaii, 60 feet

Honaunau, Hawaii, 60 feet

 

Plate Coral, Puako, 50 feet

Honaunau, Hawaii, 60 feet

  PLATE CORAL

Occasional along the leeward coasts of Hawaii and Maui at scuba depths.  Forms solid plates that often become large tiered colonies several meters tall.  Tiny white circular polyps are surrounded by short, raised, irregular ridges.  Grayish brown in color but may appear pale blue gray without a flashlight.

Porites rus

Haleiwa Beach, Oahu, 30 feet

 

Haleiwa Beach, Oahu, 30 feet

KNOBBY CORAL

Rare at various locations.  Forms large encrustations with irregular vertical projections.  Tiny circular polyps are surrounded by short, raised, irregular ridges.  Greenish or pinkish brown in color.


INDO-PACIFIC

 

 

 

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