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Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Zoantharia/Hexacorallia > Order Scleractinia > Family Faviidae
Favid hard corals
Family Faviidae
updated Oct 11
Where seen? Members of this family include the most commonly encountered hard corals on many of our shores. Some hardy ones are commonly found even in the murky waters of our Northern shores.

The Family Faviidae is among the largest family of hard corals with more than 20 genera. It is second to Family Acroporidae in the number of species. They are considered the fourth largest contributor to reef formations throughout the world. All members of Famly Faviidae have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthallae.

Features: Corallites may be small so that the colony appears smooth, or large and form hexagonal patterns that resemble pineapples or honeycombs, in others maze-like or brain-like. Colonies may be boulder-, dome-shaped or flat, encrusting plates. Many are strikingly fluorescent.

The Favid genera found on our shores that are more easily distinguished include Trumpet corals (Caulastraea sp.), Hedgehog corals (Echinopora sp.), Zebra corals (Oulastrea crispata) and Moon corals (Diploastrea heliopora)

For the rest of the genera, it's hard to distinguish them without close examination of small features. On this website, these are grouped by large external features for convenience of display. These include ring corals, maze corals, hexagonal corals.

Status and threats: Many of Favid corals recorded for Singapore are listed as globally Near Threatened by the IUCN. Like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Trampling by careless visitors, and over-collection also have an impact on local populations

Zebra coral is among the hard corals
most commonly seen on our shores.
Changi, Jun 05
Family Faviidae recorded for Singapore
Danwei Huang, Karenne P. P. Tun, L. M Chou and Peter A. Todd. 30 Dec 2009. An inventory of zooxanthellate sclerectinian corals in Singapore including 33 new records **the species found on many shores in Danwei's paper.
*Groups based on in Veron, Jen. 2000. Corals of the World.
in red are those listed as threatened on the IUCN global list.

  Favid corals seen awaiting identification
Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination with a microscope. On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.
  Ring favid corals
Maze favid corals
Hexagonal favid corals

  Family Faviidae*
 

Barabattoia amicorum** (see Big ring favid corals)

Caulastrea sp. (Trumpet corals) with list of species recorded for Singapore.

Cyphastrea sp. (Tiny ring favid corals) with list of species recorded for Singapore.

Diploastrea heliopora** (Moon coral)

Echinopora sp. (Hedgehog corals) with list of species recorded for Singapore.

Favia sp. (see Ring favid corals)
Group 1: With small corallites (averaging less than 8mm in diameter)
Favia laxa** (Near Threatened) (see Moon corals)
Favia stelligera (Near Threatened) (see Tiny ring corals)

Group 2: With medium corallites (averaging 8-12mm in diameter) (see O-ring favid corals)
Favia matthaii** (Near Threatened)
Favia pallida**
Favia speciosa**

Group 3: With large corallites (averaging more than 12mm in diameter) (see Big ring favid corals)
Favia danae**
Favia favus**
Favia lizardensis** (Near Threatened)
Favia maritima (Near Threatened)
Favia maxima** (Near Threatened)
Favia rotumana**
Favia rotundata (Near Threatened)
Favia veroni (Near Threatened)

Favites sp.
Group 2: With small corallites (6-10mm in diameter)
Favites chinensis** (Near Threatened)
Favites pentagona**

Group 3: With middle-sized corallites (10-13mm in diameter)
Favites abdita** (Near Threatened)
Favites complanata** (Near Threatened)
Favites halicora** (Near Threatened)
Favites russelli (Near Threatened)

Group 4: With large corallites (over 14mm in diameter)
Favites flexuosa** (Near Threatened)
Favites paraflexuosa** (Near Threatened)

Goniastrea sp.
Group 1: Honeycomb pattern of corallites (monocentric) with corallite diameter mostly less than 5mm in diameter (see Tiny hexagonal favid corals)
Goniastrea edwardsi**
Goniastrea minuta (Near Threatened)
Goniastrea retiformis**

Group 2: Predominantly honeycomb pattern of corallites (monocentric) with corallite more than 5mm in diameter (see Honey-comb hexagonal favid corals)
Goniastrea aspera**
Goniastrea palauensis** (Near Threatened)

Group 3: Predominantly brain-like pattern of corallites (meandroid) (see Jigsaw maze favid corals)
Goniastrea australensis**
Goniastrea favulus** (Near Threatened)
Goniastrea pectinata**

Lepastrea sp.
Leptastrea pruinosa**
Leptastrea purpurea** (see also Neat hexa corals)
Leptastrea transversa** (see also Neat hexa corals)

Montastrea sp.
Group 1: With small corallites (less than 7mm in diameter)
Montastrea curta** (see Tiny ring corals)

Group 2: With middle-sized corallites (5-8 mm in diameter)
Montastrea annuligera (Near Threatened)
Montastrea colemani (Near Threatened)

Group 3: With large corallites (more than 9mm in diameter)
Montastrea magnistellata** (Near Threatened)
Montastrea valenciennesi** (Near Threatened)

Oulastrea crispata** (Zebra coral)

 Oulophyllia sp. (see Maze favid corals and Hexagonal favid corals)
Oulophyllia bennettae** (Near Threatened)
Oulaphyllia crispa** (Near Threatened)

Platygyra sp.
Group 1: Honeycomb pattern of corallites (monocentric) or brain-like but forming only short valleys (see Maze favid corals and Hexagonal favid corals)
Platygyra pini**
Platygyra ryukyuensis (Near Threatened)
Platygyra verweyi** (Near Threatened)

Group 2: Primarily brain-like pattern of corallites (meandroid) (see Jigsaw maze favid corals)
Platygyra daedalea**
Platygyra sinensis**
Platygyra lamellina (Near Threatened)

Links

  • Family Faviidae (select species from list) on Corals of the World online on the Australian Institute of Marine Science website: Technical fact sheet.
  • Family Faviidae on Reef Corals of the Indo-Malayan Seas, the Marine Species Identification Portal: Technical fact sheet.
  • Family Faviidae (enter Faviidae or species in search bar) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species website: Technical fact sheet.

References

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