Montastraea cavernosa

Montastraea cavernosa (Linnaeus, 1766)
Great star coral

photo by Veron, Charlie (J.E.N.)

Family:	Faviidae ()
Max. size:
Environment:	reef-associated; marine; depth range 1 - 113 m
Distribution:	Atlantic Ocean: Bermuda to Brazil and Mexico to Gabon.
Diagnosis:	Colonies are massive, forming boulders or domes, or are flat plates. Corallites are variable but are usually conical and exsert. Long and short septa strongly alternate, with alternate septa joined to the columella. Commonly green, brown, grey, or orange.
Biology:	Zooxanthellate (Refs. 116012, 121684). Found on rocky reef, in shallow to mesophotic waters (Ref. 121684). Common throughout the Caribbean to a depth of 70 m (Ref. 415). In Belize, it was found in a submarine cave near Columbus Cay at a depth of 10 m (Ref. 87209).
IUCN Red List Status:	(LC); Date assessed: 01 June 2021 Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans:
Country info:

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