Porites lichen (Dana 1846)

zooxanthellate

Colonies form drooping plates and vertical spires, commonly in the same colony, especially when the colony is larger than about a metre tall and broad. Commonly vertical projections develop from the plates - these will develop into the large spires on the top of the future colony. The surface of each plate is commonly irregular. The colour is green, brown or cream, and tiny polyps can usually be distinguished in daytime (Sheppard, 1998). Colonies form flat laminae or plates, or fused nodules and columns. Corallites are usually aligned in irregular rows separated by low ridges. Septal structures are variable and irregular. Colour: Usually bright yellowish-green, sometimes brown. Abundance: Very common and frequently a dominant of lagoons and reef slopes. Usually conspicuous, both by coloration and abundance (Veron, 1986). Growth form usually a mixture of encrusting plates with short, lumpy columns. Colour: brownish-green or yellow. Habitat: deep lagoons and reef slopes (Richmond, 1997).