1. Corals of Hawai’i: Order Scleractinia Stony corals

2. Family Acroporidae - Rice Corals
Montipora flabellata- blue rice coral
Growth form: small, encrusting with irregular lobes; blue to turquoise color.
Fine structure: papillae smaller, sometimes fused to form ridges; calices with elevated collars.
Habitat: shallow water in exposed and protected areas.
Montipora patula - ringed rice coral
Growth form: small, encrusting; chocolate-brown with light borders.
Fine structure: papillae small, forming rings around calyx.
Habitat: reef flats.
Montipora capitata (Formerly M. verrucosa) - rice coral
Growth form: highly variable, encrusting and plate-like (shallow water) or branching (deep); dark-chocolate with white borders to beige or white.
Fine structure: tuberculae large, uniformly distributed, absent from underside of free margins.
Habitat: common in all reef environments, 0-50 m.

3. Family Agariciidae – False Brain Corals
Pavona duerdeni
Growth form: encrusting round, or with rounded disks or lobes; light gray or pale brown.
Fine structure: calices regular and symmetrically arranged.
Habitat: wave-exposed environments.
Pavona varians - false brain coral
Growth form: encrusting globular masses; tan or tan-brown.
Fine structure: elongate, angular steep-sided ridges with calices in valleys; septa line sides of ridges.
Habitat: reef flat and slope.

4. Family Dendrophyllidae – Cup Corals
Tubastraea coccinea - tube coral
Growth form: large (> 1 cm) separate calices on tubular extensions; clump of large calices 5-10 cm across; animal orange or black
Fine structure: calyx wall very thin, porous and composed of glandular ridges; primary and secondary septa distinct; upper edge of septa depressed below.
Habitat: on cliffs and in caves in shallow water.

5. Family Faviidae- Brain Corals
Cyphastrea ocellina
Growth form: small encrustation's or mushroom-shaped clumps; light reddish brown.
Fine structure: calices small (1-5 mm), crowded, elevated above surface, randomly oriented in clumps; calyx wall thick and jagged.
Habitat: reef flats and tide pools
Leptastrea bottae
Growth form: small, globular encrustation's; olive-green to yellow-brown.
Fine structure: calices large (3.5 mm) and well separated with individual walls; elevated primary septa.
Habitat: reef flats exposed to sand scour.
Leptastrea purpurea
Growth form: large, thin encrusting sheets or rounded lobes; pale brown, green, or purple.
Fine structure: calices large (2-6 mm), funnel-shaped, and share common walls; elevated primary septa form a ridge around the calyx.
Habitat: reef flats and slope to 50 m.

6. Family Fungiidae - Razor Corals
Fungia scutaria - mushroom coral
Growth form: solitary coral on large
(4-28 cm), free, elliptical plates;
green to dark brown.
Fine structure: septa of uniform dimensions radiating out from
central depression; septa thin and serrated.
Habitat: reef flats, frequently in crevices
or depressions.

7. Family Pocilloporidae
Pocillopora
General description: branching colonies; calices crowded together on wart-like projections (verrucae) and connected by a network of common walls, ridges, seams, or grooves.
Pocillopora damicornis - lace coral
Growth form: finely branched with many divisions; branches not thicker than a pencil; colonies small, up to 15 cm; bushy-shaped; light to dark brown.
Fine structure: septa and columella poorly developed; walls of terminal calices flare outward.
Habitat: protected areas in shallow water.
Pocillopora eydouxi - elkhorn coral
Growth form: large (up to 80 cm) with thick, cylindrical, vertical branches that lack divisions; brown.
Fine structure: calices have distinct septa and columella.
Habitat: wave-exposed areas, generally deeper than 10 m.
Pocillopora meandrina - cauliflower coral
Growth form: heavy, leaf-like branches often forked near the end; brown to pink.
Fine structure: septa and columella poorly developed; calyx irregularly shaped.
Habitat: wave-exposed areas, generally shallower than 10 m.

8. Family Poritidae Porites
General description: calices 5-sided polygons; well developed septa and columella give "snowflake" appearance.
Porites compressa - finger coral
Growth form: finger-like branching with porous skeleton; tips of branches usually blunt or flattened; light-brown to yellow.
Fine structure: calices flush with surface; upper septa surface looks like elevated rods.
Habitat: wave-protected areas, 0-50 m.
Porites evermanni
Growth form: resembles P. lobata by forming low, flat-topped or cube-like lobes with rounded edges; gray, brown, or purple.
Fine structure: septa made up of thin plates that form a continuous porous surface; calyx walls form a ring.
Habitat: wave-exposed reef flats.

9. Family Poritidae cont. Porites lobata - lobe coral
Growth form: olive-green, brown, or blue-gray. Branches form large lobes, never thin or finger-like; colonies may be huge, covering several meters or more.
Fine structure: calyx sides are membrane-like and elevated into sharp walls.
Habitat: wave-exposed areas, 0-50 m.
Porites rus
Growth form: cylindrical lobes, irregular, or flat plates; blackish-brown with white, yellow, or gray tips.
Fine structure: small, round, shallow calices well separated on the surface.
Habitat: all reef environments, 0-50 m.

10. Family Thamastreidae Psammocora stellata
Growth form: pale brown to pale green. small, branched, rounded clumps; branches have unequal length, often subdivided at the tip into two projections.
Fine structure: calices are indistinct; septa are well developed and protrude into the center of the calyx, leaving a tiny hole; septa of calices are continuous and form a star-like pattern; septa are rough and granulated, giving a star-like appearance.
Habitat: reef flats.

11. Mesophotic Corals:

12. Leptoseris hawaiiensis

13. Leptoseris incrustans

14. Leptoseris mycetoseroides

15. Leptoseris papyracea???

16. Leptoseris scabra

17. Leptoseris tubulifera

18. Montipora capitata

19. Pocillopora damicornis

20. Porites Lobata