Larger star coral (Favites complanata)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Cnidaria · Class: Hexacorallia · Order: Scleractinia · Family: Merulinidae · Genus: Favites.

Accepted name: Favites complanata · Authority: (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 207455.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Astraea (Fissicella) complanata (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834); Astraea (Fissicella) tesserifera Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834; Astraea complanata (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834); Astraea tesserifera Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834; Astrea tesserifera Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834; Favia complanata Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834; Favites complanata var. tesserifera (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834); Favites tesserifera (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834); Prionastraea tesserifera (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834); Prionastrea michelini Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849; Prionastrea tesserifera (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=207455 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Favites complanata. 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 most reef environments (Ref. 848).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 46739) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Favites-complanata.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

648 georeferenced occurrence records for Favites complanata are published through GBIF from 30 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 108 distinct locations from a sample of 648 records, omitting 12 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: Australia (458); Mayotte (29); American Samoa (20); Japan (20); Marshall Islands (14); New Caledonia (12); Réunion (11); Saudi Arabia (11); French Southern Territories (9); Indonesia (7); United States Minor Outlying Islands (7); Papua New Guinea (6); Palau (6); Egypt (4); Iran (Islamic Republic of) (4).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Mozambique; Seychelles; Réunion; Chagos; Red Sea; South Africa (country); Indo-West Pacific; Australian Exclusive Economic Zone; Papua New Guinean Exclusive Economic Zone; Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone; United States Exclusive Economic Zone; Baker Island.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2260084) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2260084&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=207455 (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 Favites complanata (Ehrenberg, 1834) 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 132979) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/132979/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2260084) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2260084/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

A colony of Favites complanata forms a solid dome or mound. The corallites (stony cups in which the polyps sit) are large and somewhat angular, with thick, rounded walls between them. The calyces are 8 to 12 mm in diameter. The septa (stony ridges inside the corallites) are in two whorls and each has four or five teeth. The paliform lobes are distinct on the first whorl of septa and the columella at the centre of the corallite is large. The stony ridges, now known as costae, continue between the corallites and often form three-pointed stars where the walls of three corallites join. This coral is usually a dull brown colour, the oral discs of the polyps sometimes being a contrasting green or grey colour.

Favites complanata is found in the western and central Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Red Sea to India, the Maldives, Australia, Japan and the East China Sea. It is present in various reef habitats at depths down to about 30 m.

The polyps of Favites complanata expand and extend their tentacles to catch plankton, but much of the nutritional requirements of this coral are met by the zooxanthellae housed within its tissues. These symbiotic unicellular dinoflagellates use photosynthesis to create organic molecules. In adverse conditions, such as when the coral is stressed by high temperatures, the zooxanthellae may be expelled and the coral becomes bleached and white. Bleaching occurs in this species when the water temperature rises above 30 °C.

Source: Wikipedia: Favites complanata — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favites_complanata (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

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