These are rounded or undulating colonies with a fine maze-like network of ridges and grooves over the surface. Colonies can exceed a meter in width and are found on a variety of lagoon, pinnacle and seaward reefs around the atoll. ID from a figure in Rowlett's Indo-Pacific Coral, but not all the photos below may belong to the same species.
Altough not the most susceptible coral to warming waters, we have seen these bleaching during long periods of elevated temperatures. The portion of the colony that bleaches out first is the very top, the part most exposed to direct sunlight. The sides, which get less direct sun, maintain their color longer.
Below warm water bleaching has also impacted the nearby colonies of Isopora palifera.
Created 18 April 2020
Updated 10 June 2023