Madracis kirbyi
Veron and Pichon, 1976
Description: Colonies are laminar, encrusting, nodular or columnar, columns being club-shaped. Corallites are subcerioid, closely compacted and angular in outline, with solid conical columellae. Usually ten septa are present and these are fused with the columella. The coenosteum is covered by fine spinules. Tentacles are usually extended only at night.
Color: The oral disc is green or white, the coenosteum mottled brown and reddish-brown.
Habitat: Most reef environments but especially turbid ones.
Abundance: Rare.
Similar Species: Madracis decactis which has relatively uniform branches and corallites.
Source reference: Veron (2000). Taxonomic reference: Veron and Pichon (1976). Identification guides: Veron (1986), Sheppard and Sheppard (1991), Carpenter et al. (1997).
This species is commonly cryptic and encrusting. Vietnam Photograph: Charlie Veron
A nodular colony where living corallites are overgrowing dead skeleton. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Photograph: Charlie Veron
A columnar growth-form on a turbid inshore reef. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Photograph: Charlie Veron
Skeletal detail. Showing corallites.