Tip frogspawn coral (Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, occurrence map from GBIF, conservation from IUCN Red List, description from Wikipedia.
Euphyllia paradivisa, or branching frogspawn coral, is a species of large-polyped stony coral belonging to the Euphylliidae family. It shares the common name of "frogspawn coral" with Euphyllia divisa, but is differentiated as the "branching" frogspawn whereas Euphyllia divisa has a "wall" structure. It is a commonly kept species in the marine aquarium hobby.
- Scientific name
- Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa
- Authority
- (Veron, 1990)
- Family
- Euphylliidae
- Order
- Scleractinia
- Depth range
- 0–40 m
- Habitat zone
- reef-associated
- Iucn red list
- Least Concern
- Gbif occurrence records
- 25
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Cnidaria · Class: Hexacorallia · Order: Scleractinia · Family: Euphylliidae · Genus: Fimbriaphyllia.
Accepted name: Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa · Authority: (Veron, 1990) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1048080.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Euphyllia paradivisa Veron, 1990.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1048080 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Depth range: 0–40 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated.
SeaLifeBase notes: Found in shallow reef environments protected from wave action (Ref. 847).
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 46650) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Fimbriaphyllia-paradivisa.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
25 georeferenced occurrence records for Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa are published through GBIF from 10 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 12 distinct locations from a sample of 25 records, omitting 4 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: Sweden (5); Indonesia (4); Oman (4); Philippines (4); Greece (2); Japan (2); Fiji (1); France (1); New Caledonia (1); Tanzania, United Republic of (1).
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 9373972) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=9373972&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1048080 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Conservation status (IUCN Red List)
The IUCN Red List assesses Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa (Veron, 1990) as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.
Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 133057) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/133057/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 9373972) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/9373972/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
Euphyllia paradivisa is considered a vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List. It is threatened by many of the environmental issues with coral reefs such as increased sea surface temperature, ocean acidification, and overfishing for the marine aquarium trade. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has stated there is "a risk of extinction within the foreseeable future for Euphyllia paradivisa."
Colonies of Euphyllia paradivisa are made up of branching, separate corallites. Polyps have branching tentacles. Color is pale greenish-grey or pink (in rare instances) with lighter tentacle tips. Euphyllia paradivisa displays fluorescence when the chromatophores of its zooxanthellae and the coral host pigments are excited by blue-dominated light.
It is native to the Indo-Pacific islands, distributed mostly in the Coral Triangle area, and also found in the American Samoa. It prefers environments protected from surface wave action on fringing reef crests, mid-slope terraces, and lagoons at depths of 2 to 25 m.
Source: Wikipedia: Euphyllia paradivisa — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphyllia_paradivisa (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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