(ofMadrepora elephantotus Pallas, 1766)Pallas, P. S. (1766). Elenchus zoophytorum sistens generum adumbrationes generaliores et specierum cognitarum succintas descriptiones, cum selectis auctorum synonymis. [List of zoophytes containing general outlines of genera and brief descriptions of known species, with selected synonyms of the authors.]. <em>Fransiscum Varrentrapp, Hagae.</em> 451 pp., available online athttps://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6019361[details]
Description Colonies occur in particularly attractive shades of green and purple, showing strongly iridescent colours. Usually the...
Description Colonies occur in particularly attractive shades of green and purple, showing strongly iridescent colours. Usually the centres of calices have a different colour to the greener inter-corallite tissue. The corallites always incline outward, towards the edges of the leaves. Undersides are not spiny. Septo-costae are commonly without spines. Young colonies show a central, large calice and rudimentary peripheral ones and may be confused with Echinopora echinata. This species is found over a broad range of depths on fore- and back reef slopes. It also tolerates well the more sedimented lagoonal habitats where it can resist sedimentation, partly due to a tendency always to grow on vertical faces in such habitats. It may form colonies up to a metre across in sheltered areas, though colonies are usually smaller on fore-reef slopes. (Sheppard, 1998 <308>)
Colonies are laminar or foliaceous. Corallites are nose-shaped, facing outward towards the corallum perimeter. Septa and columellae are well developed and costae form outwardly radiating ribs on the corallum surface which may become highly elaborated on corallite walls. The coenosteum is never pitted at the insertion of new septo-costae. Polyps are extended only at night. Colour: usually a uniform brown, grey, green or pink but may have green or red oral discs and may have a coloured margin around the colony. Abundance: common over a wide range of habitats. (Veron, 1986 <57>)
Similar in colour and growth to Oxypora and Echinophyllia, but corallites clearly face towards the perimeter of the plates. Colonies may be foliaceous. Septo-costae are again evident as striations radiating to the perimeter of the colony. Habitat: diverse reef areas. (Richmond, 1997) [details]
Hoeksema, B. W.; Cairns, S. (2025). World List of Scleractinia. Mycedium elephantotus (Pallas, 1766). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=207373 on 2025-07-19
original description(ofMadrepora elephantotus Pallas, 1766)Pallas, P. S. (1766). Elenchus zoophytorum sistens generum adumbrationes generaliores et specierum cognitarum succintas descriptiones, cum selectis auctorum synonymis. [List of zoophytes containing general outlines of genera and brief descriptions of known species, with selected synonyms of the authors.]. <em>Fransiscum Varrentrapp, Hagae.</em> 451 pp., available online athttps://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6019361[details]
original description(ofMycedium okeni Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851)Milne Edwards H, Haime J. (1851). Recherches sur les polypiers. Mémoire 6. Monographie des Fongides. <em>Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie, Series 3.</em> 15: 73-144.[details]
original description(ofMycedium elephantotus var. pachycostatum Chevalier, 1975)Chevalier JP. (1975). Les Scléractiniaires de la Mélanésie Française (Nouvelle-Caledonie, Iles Chesterfield, Iles Loyauté, Nouvelles Hébrides). II. Expedition Française sur les Récifs Coralliens Nouv.-Calédonie. 7: 1-407, pls. 1-42. Paris.[details]
original description(ofMycedium elephantotus var. dentatum Chevalier, 1975)Chevalier JP. (1975). Les Scléractiniaires de la Mélanésie Française (Nouvelle-Caledonie, Iles Chesterfield, Iles Loyauté, Nouvelles Hébrides). II. Expedition Française sur les Récifs Coralliens Nouv.-Calédonie. 7: 1-407, pls. 1-42. Paris.[details]
basis of recordVeron JEN. (1986). Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. <em>Angus & Robertson Publishers.</em> [details]
Other
context source (Hexacorallia)Fautin, Daphne G. (2013). Hexacorallians of the World. (look up in IMIS) [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 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): 36 [details]
additional sourceVolpi, C., Benvenuti D., 2003. The Duchassaing & Michelotti collection of Caribbean corals: status of the types and location of the specimens. Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano 144 1: 51-74. page(s): 63 [details]
additional sourceRandall RH. (2003). An annotated checklist of hydrozoan and scleractinian corals collected from Guam and other Mariana Islands. <em>Micronesica.</em> 35-36: 121-137. page(s): 134 [details]
additional sourceOken, L. (1815-1816). Lehrbuch der Naturgeschichte. Dritter Theil: Zoologie. <em>Erste Abtheilung: Fleischlose Thiere,Leipzig: C.H. Reclam & Jena: A. Schmid, [book (3rd vol part one, of 3 vols, including plates atlas of T.1, 1813].</em> xxviii + 842 pp. + xviii, 40 pls. L [copepods 180-184, 357-359, 4 plates]., available online athttps://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.166403[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 [request]
additional sourceVeron JEN, Pichon M. (1980). Scleractinia of Eastern Australia – Part III. Family Agariciidae, Siderastreidae, Fungiidae, Oculinidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae, Pectinidae, Caryophyllidae, Dendrophylliidae. <em>Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph Series.</em> 4: 1-459.[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 sourceWells JW. (1955). Recent and subfossil corals of Moreton Bay, Queensland. <em>Queensland. University of Queensland Papers, Department of Geology.</em> 4 (10): 1-18, pls. 1-3. page(s): 16 [details]
additional sourceWells JW. (1961). Notes on Indo-Pacific scleractinian corals. Part 3, A new reef coral from New Caledonia. <em>Pacific Science.</em> 15: 189-191. page(s): 189 [details]
additional sourceUmbgrove JHF. (1940). Madreporaria from the Togian Reefs (Gulf of Tomini, North-Celebes. <em>Zoologische Mededelingen, Leiden.</em> 22: 265-310. page(s): 269, 271, 290, 309, Pl. XXVIII [details]
additional sourceYabe H, Sugiyama T, Eguchi M. (1936). Recent reef-building corals from Japan and the South Sea Islands under the Japanese mandate. I. <em>The Science reports of the Tôhoku Imperial University, Sendai, 2nd Series (Geologie).</em> Special Volume 1: 1-66, pls. 1-59. page(s): 4, 49, Pl. XXXIII, Pl. XXXVII [details]
additional sourceChevalier JP. (1975). Les Scléractiniaires de la Mélanésie Française (Nouvelle-Caledonie, Iles Chesterfield, Iles Loyauté, Nouvelles Hébrides). II. Expedition Française sur les Récifs Coralliens Nouv.-Calédonie. 7: 1-407, pls. 1-42. Paris.[details]
additional sourceNemenzo F (1959) Systematic studies on Philippine shallow water scleractinians: II. Suborder Faviida. Natural and Applied Science Bulletin, University of the Philippines 16: 73-135, pls. 1-24. page(s): 76, 120 [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): 33 [details]
additional sourceHuang D, Benzoni F, Fukami H, Knowlton N, Smith ND, Budd AF (2014) Taxonomic classification of the reef coral families Merulinidae, Montastraeidae, and Diploastraeidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 171: 277–355., available online athttps://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12140[details]
additional sourceVerrill A. E. (1901). Variations and nomenclature of Bermudian, West Indian and Brazilian reef corals, with notes on various Indo-Pacific corals. <em>Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences.</em> 11: 63-168., available online athttps://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13464046 page(s): 133-135 [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): 32, 89 [details]
additional sourceDuchassaing P, Michelotti J. (1864). Supplément au mémoire sur les coralliaires des Antilles. <em>Memorie della Reale Accademia della Scienze di Torino, Serie 2.</em> 23: 97-206, plates 1-11., available online athttps://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31197612[details]
additional sourceMilne Edwards H, Haime J. (1851). Recherches sur les polypiers. Mémoire 6. Monographie des Fongides. <em>Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie, Series 3.</em> 15: 73-144. page(s): 73, 131-132 [details]
additional sourceRandall RH, Myers RF. (1983). The corals. Guide to the Coastal Resources of Guam: Vol. 2. <em>University of Guam Press, Guam, pp. 128.</em> [details]
additional sourceVeron, J. E. N. (2000). Corals of the World, Volume II: Families Astrocoeniidae, Pocilloporidae, Euphyllidae, Oculinidae, Meandrinidae, Siderastreidae, Agariciidae, Fungiidae, Rhizangiidae, Pectiniidae, Merulinidae, Dendrophylliidae, Caryophylliidae. Australian Institute of Marine Science. Townsville., volume 2, pp. 429. page(s): 344-345 [details]
additional sourceZlatarski, V. N.; Estalella, N. M. (1980). Scleractinia of Cuba with data on the constituent organisms [in Bulgarian]. Bulgarian Academy of Science. Sophia., pp. 312. page(s): 167, 301, 306 [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): 394 [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): 88 [details]
additional sourceVeron, J. E. N.; Pichon, M. (1979). Scleractinia of Eastern Australia, part III: Families Agariciidae, Siderastreidae, Fungiidae, Oculinidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae, Pectiniidae, Caryophylliidae, Dendrophylliidae. Australian Government Publishing Service. Canberra., volume 4, pp. 422. page(s): 7, 320, 319-325 [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): 46 [details]
additional sourceKühlmann, D. H. H. (2006). Die Steinkorallensammlung im Naturhistorischen Museum in Rudolstadt (Thüringen) nebst ökologischen Bemerkungen. Rudolstädter Naturhistorische Schriften, 13, 37-113 page(s): 63, 100, 111 [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, 98 [details]
additional sourceReinicke, G. B. (1997). Different modes of adaptation to light conditions in Red Sea Xeniidae reflected by their depth distribution patterns (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea). Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Coelenterate Biology, 393-402 page(s): 400 [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Description Colonies occur in particularly attractive shades of green and purple, showing strongly iridescent colours. Usually the centres of calices have a different colour to the greener inter-corallite tissue. The corallites always incline outward, towards the edges of the leaves. Undersides are not spiny. Septo-costae are commonly without spines. Young colonies show a central, large calice and rudimentary peripheral ones and may be confused with Echinopora echinata. This species is found over a broad range of depths on fore- and back reef slopes. It also tolerates well the more sedimented lagoonal habitats where it can resist sedimentation, partly due to a tendency always to grow on vertical faces in such habitats. It may form colonies up to a metre across in sheltered areas, though colonies are usually smaller on fore-reef slopes. (Sheppard, 1998 <308>)
Colonies are laminar or foliaceous. Corallites are nose-shaped, facing outward towards the corallum perimeter. Septa and columellae are well developed and costae form outwardly radiating ribs on the corallum surface which may become highly elaborated on corallite walls. The coenosteum is never pitted at the insertion of new septo-costae. Polyps are extended only at night. Colour: usually a uniform brown, grey, green or pink but may have green or red oral discs and may have a coloured margin around the colony. Abundance: common over a wide range of habitats. (Veron, 1986 <57>)
Similar in colour and growth to Oxypora and Echinophyllia, but corallites clearly face towards the perimeter of the plates. Colonies may be foliaceous. Septo-costae are again evident as striations radiating to the perimeter of the colony. Habitat: diverse reef areas. (Richmond, 1997) [details] Spelling Spelled M. elephantotum in Best et al. (1980) . Type locality: "Indian Ocean" (Veron, 1986). [details]