Psammocora contigua
Esper, 1797
Description: Colonies are mixtures of flattened branches, columns and/or irregular nodules. Sometimes they occur as free-living mobile balls. Corallite structures are fine and corallites are shallow, giving colonies a smooth surface.
Color: Pale to dark grey-brown.
Habitat: Shallow reef environments and soft substrate.
Abundance: Common over a wide range of environments.
Similar Species: The fine superficial corallites are like those of Psammocora superficialis but the different growth-forms are always distinctive.
Source reference: Veron (2000). Taxonomic reference: Veron and Pichon (1976). Identification guides: Randall and Myers (1983), Veron (1986), Sheppard and Sheppard (1991), Nishihira and Veron (1995), Coles (1996), Carpenter et al. (1997).
Large colonies have different branch shapes, determined by water movements. Flores, Indonesia Photograph: Charlie Veron
Side of branches. Papua New Guinea Photograph: Charlie Veron
Showing the smooth surface of a colony with plate-like branches. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Photograph: Charlie Veron
Skeletal detail. Corallite detail. Drawing: Geoff Kelly
Surface detail of a branch. Calamian Islands, Philippines Photograph: Charlie Veron