Alveopora spongiosa
Dana, 1846
Records from the eastern central Pacific are doubtful.
Description: Colonies are encrusting, submassive thick plates or cushions, or columnar. They have a flat or irregular surface and may be over 2 metres across. Corallites have long or short fine septal spines which seldom connect. Tips of polyp tentacles may be pointed or knob-like. Sometimes six large tentacles alternate with six small ones.
Color: Usually uniform pale or dark brown, rarely green or other colours. Polyps sometimes have white tentacle tips.
Habitat: Protected upper reef slopes.
Abundance: Usually uncommon.
Similar Species: Alveopora daedalea. See also A. tizardi, which has smaller corallites, a more solid skeletal structure and distinctive knobs on tentacle tips.
Source reference: Veron (2000). Taxonomic reference: Veron and Pichon (1982). Identification guides: Veron (1986), Sheppard and Sheppard (1991), Nishihira and Veron (1995).
A large colony forming plates. Pemba Island, Tanzania Photograph: Charlie Veron
Showing the spongy appearance of colonies with polyps retracted. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Photograph: Ed Lovell
A large encrusting colony. Papua New Guinea Photograph: Charlie Veron
A lobed colony with polyps extended. Houtman Abrolhos Islands, south-west Australia Photograph: Ed Lovell
Colony with extended polyps. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Photograph: Charlie Veron
Skeletal detail. Showing corallites.