Description Colonies form drooping plates and vertical spires, commonly in the same colony, especially when the colony is larger than...
Description 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). [details]
Hoeksema, B. W.; Cairns, S. (2025). World List of Scleractinia. Porites lichen (Dana, 1846). Accessed at: https://www.marinespecies.org/Scleractinia/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=207228 on 2025-07-16
original description(ofGoniopora klunzingeri von Marenzeller, 1907)Marenzeller, E. von. (1907). Riffkorallen. In: Expeditionen S.M. "Pola" in das Rote Meer. Nördliche und Südliche Hälfte 1895/96 – 1897/98. <em>Zoologische Ergebnisse XXVI. Berichte der Kommission für Ozeanographische Forschungen. Denkschrift Akademischer Wissenschaften.</em> 80: 27-97, pls. 1-29.[details]
original description(ofPorites viridis Gardiner, 1898)Gardiner JS (1898) On the perforate corals collected by the author in the South Pacific. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1898: 257-276, pls. 23-24.[details]
original description(ofPorites purpurea Gardiner, 1898)Gardiner JS (1898) On the perforate corals collected by the author in the South Pacific. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1898: 257-276, pls. 23-24.[details]
original description(ofPorites viridis var. apalata Gardiner, 1898)Gardiner JS (1898) On the perforate corals collected by the author in the South Pacific. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1898: 257-276, pls. 23-24.[details]
context source (Hexacorallia)Fautin, Daphne G. (2013). Hexacorallians of the World. (look up in IMIS) [details]
basis of recordVeron JEN. (1986). Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. <em>Angus & Robertson Publishers.</em> [details]
additional sourceSheppard CRC. (1987). Coral species of the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas: a synonymised compilation and some regional distribution patterns. <em>Atoll Research Bulletin.</em> 307: 1-32., available online athttp:// https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00775630.307.1[details]
additional sourceVaughan TW. (1918). Some shallow-water corals from Murray Island (Australia), Cocos-Keeling Island, and Fanning Island. <em>Papers from the Department of Marine Biology of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.</em> 9 (213): 49-234, pls. 20-93.[details]
additional sourceQuelch J.J. (1886). Report on the Reef-corals collected by H.M.S. 'Challenger' during the years 1873-76. <em>Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873–1876. Zoology.</em> 16 (46): 1-203, pls 1-12., available online athttp://www.19thcenturyscience.org/HMSC/HMSC-Reports/Zool-46/README.htm page(s): 19, 29, 30, 35, 181, 202 [details]
additional sourceDana, J.D. (1846-1847). On Zoophytes. <em>The American Journal of Science and Arts, Second Series.</em> 2(4): 64-69; 2(5): 187-202; 3(7): 1-24; 3(8): 160-163; 3(9): 337-347. New-Haven., available online athttps://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28135503 page(s): 552, 566-567 [details]
additional sourceCairns, S.D., B.W. Hoeksema & J. van der Land. (1999). Appendix: List of extant stony corals. <em>Atoll Research Bulletin.</em> 459: 13-46. page(s): 38 [details]
additional sourceCairns, S.D., B.W. Hoeksema & J. van der Land. (2007). as a contribution to UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms. (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional sourceLiu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. <em>China Science Press.</em> 1267 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details] Available for editors
additional sourceBenzoni, F., Stefani, F. 2012. Porites fontanesii, a new species of hard coral (Scleractinia, Poritidae) from the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Tadjoura, and the Gulf of Aden, and its phylogenetic relationships within the genus. Zootaxa 3447: 56–68. page(s): 65, 66 [details]
additional sourceVeron JEN. (2000). Corals of the World. Vol. 1–3. <em>Australian Institute of Marine Science and CRR, Queensland, Australia.</em> [details]
additional sourceVaughan TW. (1907). Recent Madreporaria of the Hawaiian Islands and Laysan. <em>US National Museum Bulletin.</em> 59 (9): 1-427., available online athttps://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/10230 page(s): 8, 9, 170, 171, 172, 201, 213, 214-215, 216, 422, 425 Plate XC, figs. 2, 2a, 2b [details]
additional sourceYabe H, Sugiyama T. (1935). Revised list of the reef-corals from the Japanese seas and of the fossil reef corals of the raised reefs and the Ryukyu limestone of Japan. <em>Journal of the Geological Society of Japan.</em> 42: 379-403. page(s): 400 [details]
additional sourcePillai CSG, Scheer G (1976) Report on the stony corals from the Maldive Archipelago. Results of the Xarifa Expedition 1957/58. Zoologica, Stuttgart 43 (126): 1-83, pls. 1-32.[details]
additional sourceBassett-Smith, P.W. (1890). Report on the corals from Tizard and Macclesfield Banks, China Sea. <em>Annals and Magazine of Natural History,.</em> 6(35): 353-374, 443-458, pls. 12-14., available online athttps://doi.org/10.1080/00222939008694050 page(s): 361, 456 [details]
additional sourceForsman, Z. H.; Birkeland, C. (2009). Porites randalli: a new coral species (Scleractinia, Poritidae) from American Samoa. <em>Zootaxa.</em> 2244: 51-59. page(s): 51, 52, 57, 58 [details]
additional sourcePichon, M.; Benzoni, F. (2007). Taxonomic re-appraisal of zooxanthellate Scleractinian Corals in the Maldive Archipelago. <em>Zootaxa.</em> 1441: 21–33. page(s): 31 [details]
additional sourceReyes-Bonilla, H. (2002). Checklist of valid names and synonyms of stony corals (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) from the eastern Pacific. <em>Journal of Natural History.</em> 36(1): 1-13., available online athttps://doi.org/10.1080/713833841[details]
additional sourceVeron JEN, Marsh LM. (1988). Hermatypic corals of Western Australia : records and annotated species list. <em>Records Western Australian Museum Supplement.</em> 29: 1-136., available online athttps://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.60555 page(s): 33, 66 [details]
additional sourcePillai CSG. (1972). Stony corals of the seas around India. <em>Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Corals and Coral Reefs, 1969. Marine Biological Association of India Symposium.</em> 5: 191-216. page(s): 205 [details]
additional sourceWhitelegge, T. (1898). The Madroporaria of Funafuti. <em>The Australian Museum Memoir.</em> 3(6): 349-368. page(s): 366 [details]
additional sourceFenner, D. P. (2005). Corals of Hawai'i. A Field Guide to the Hard, Black, and Soft Corals of Hawai'i and the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, Including Midway. <em>Mutual Publishing, Ltd., Honolulu.</em> 144 pp. page(s): 2, 20, 39, 115 [details]
additional sourceRathbun, R. (1887). Annotated catalogue of the species of Porites and Synaraea in the U.S.N.M., with the description of a new species of Porites. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 10: 354-366 page(s): 364 [details]
additional sourceVeron, J. E. N. (2000). Corals of the World, Volume III: Families Mussidae, Faviidae, Trachyphylliidae, Poritidae. Australian Institute of Marine Science. Townsville., volume 3, pp. 490. page(s): 304-305 [details]
additional sourceMaragos, J. E.; Molina, M.; Kenyon, J. (2004). Palmyra Atoll coral data compiled from Townsend Cromwell 2000-2002, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2000-2001, and Sette 2004 surveys [Table 8]. UNPUBLISHED, UNPUBLISHED[details]
additional sourceMaragos, J. E.; Schmerfeld, J. (2004). Coral survey from Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge, 1998-2004 [Table 3]. UNPUBLISHED, Unpublished page(s): 1 [details]
additional sourceMaragos, J. E.; Kenyon, J. (2004). Rose Atoll coral data compiled from US Fish and Wildlife Service 1994, Townsend Cromwell 2002, and Sette 2004 surveys [Table 10]. UNPUBLISHED, Unpublished page(s): 1 [details]
additional sourceMaragos, J. E. (1977). Order Scleractinia, Stony Corals. Dennis M. Devaney and Lucius G. Eldredge (eds.). Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, Hawaii, pp. 84 page(s): 162, 164, 171, 229 [details]
additional sourceWells JW. (1954). Recent corals of the Marshall Islands: Bikini and nearby atolls, part 2, oceanography (biologic). <em>U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper.</em> 260(I): 385-486. page(s): 393, 396, 397, 398, 401, 402, 453, pls. 165, 168 [details]
additional sourcePillai CSG. (1983). Structure and generic diversity of recent Scleractinia of India. <em>Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India.</em> 25, 1-2, 78-90. page(s): 86 [details]
additional sourceSheppard, C. R. C. (1985). Fringing reefs in the southern region, Jeddah to Jizan. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 7, 37-58 page(s): 45 [details]
additional sourceWallace, C. C.; Fellegara, I.; Muir, P. R.; Harrison, P. L. (2009). The scleractinian corals of Moreton Bay, eastern Australia: high latitude, marginal assemblages with increasing species richness. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 54, 2 page(s): 9 [details]
additional sourceDana, J. D. (1849). Atlas. Zoophytes. C. Sherman. Philadelphia., pp. 12-01 page(s): 11, 566 [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Nontype BMNH, geounit Vietnamese Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 18-81, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 243-73, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 292-84, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 293-84, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 373-84, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 375-84, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 38-72, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 445-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 448-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 449-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 454-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 486-86, geounit Ashmore-Cartier Is. [details]Nontype WAM 669-86, geounit Ashmore-Cartier Is. [details]Nontype WAM 816-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 827-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 850-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 865-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 877-85, geounit Australian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]Nontype WAM 921-86, geounit Ashmore-Cartier Is. [details]Unknown type USNM 666, geounit Fijian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Description 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). [details] Type locality Fiji (Veron, 1986). [details]