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Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Zoantharia/Hexacorallia > Order Scleractinia > Family Poritidae > Genus Goniopora
Small goniopora coral
Goniopora sp.*

Family Poritidae
updated Nov 2019

Where seen? This small hard coral with tiny polyps are often seen on many of of our shores, including some Northern shores. More commonly seen on our Southern shores.

Features: Colonies 10-15cm, small low dome-shaped or encrusting. The corallites are tiny (0.2cm) circular or polygonal, packed close to one another. Polyps tiny (0.5-1cm) with relatively medium length body column. Polyps can retract completely into the skeleton. Colony colours seen include pink, purple, greenish, yellow and brown.

Sometimes, tiny brown acoel flatworms are seen on the oral disk or body columns of anemone coral polyps.

May be confused with Favid corals (Family Faviidae) or Pore corals (Porites sp.), but polyp body column of these other corals are not as long as those of Goniopora corals.

Labrador, Jun 05

Polyps can retrat completely.

Corallites tiny circular or polygonal.


With brown acoel flatworms
Tuas, Dec 03


Labrador, Jun 05

Pulau Hantu, Apr 06

Labrador, May 06

*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display

Small goniopora corals on Singapore shores
On wildsingapore flickr

Other sightings on Singapore shores


Pulau Senang, Jun 10

Chek Jawa, Aug 2013
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his blog.


South Cyrene, Oct 10

Terumbu Buran, Nov 10


Pulau Biola, Dec 09

Terumbu Berkas, Jan 10

Terumbu Salu, Jan 10
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