Goniastrea favulus
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, occurrence map from GBIF, conservation from IUCN Red List, description from Wikipedia.
Goniastrea favulus, also known as the lesser star coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It occurs in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific region. This is an uncommon species of coral and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "near threatened".
- Scientific name
- Goniastrea favulus
- Authority
- (Dana, 1846)
- Family
- Merulinidae
- Order
- Scleractinia
- Depth range
- 0–40 m
- Habitat zone
- reef-associated
- Iucn red list
- Least Concern
- Gbif occurrence records
- 540
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Cnidaria · Class: Hexacorallia · Order: Scleractinia · Family: Merulinidae · Genus: Goniastrea.
Accepted name: Goniastrea favulus · Authority: (Dana, 1846) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 288026.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Astraea (Fissicella) favulus Dana, 1846; Astraea favulus Dana, 1846; Astrea favulus (Dana, 1846); Favia parvimurata Gardiner, 1904; Favites favulus (Dan, 1846); Goniastraea pectinata var. favulus (Dana, 1846); Prionastraea favulus (Dana, 1846).
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=288026 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Goniastrea favulus. 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.
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 46753) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Goniastrea-favulus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
540 georeferenced occurrence records for Goniastrea favulus are published through GBIF from 20 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 93 distinct locations from a sample of 540 records, omitting 15 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 (418); Japan (48); Marshall Islands (14); Fiji (11); New Zealand (9); Indonesia (6); Mayotte (6); New Caledonia (5); French Polynesia (5); Maldives (4); Papua New Guinea (3); Wallis and Futuna (3); South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (1); British Indian Ocean Territory (1); Madagascar (1).
Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Central Indo-Pacific; Australian Exclusive Economic Zone; Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone; Ashmore-Cartier Is..
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2260148) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2260148&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=288026 (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 Goniastrea favulus (Dana, 1846) 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 133060) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/133060/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2260148) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2260148/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
Colonies of Goniastrea favulus usually form greenish or brownish massive boulder-like structures. The polyps are either arranged in groups within a common corallite wall, or are in meandroid valleys. The walls of the corallites are thin, the septa bear large paliform lobes and there is a small central collumella.
Goniastrea favulus is native to the Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from northern Madagascar and the eastern coast of Africa to the Maldive Islands, southeastern Asia, Japan, Australia and island groups in the Pacific Ocean. It is found in the intertidal and subtidal zones on fore and hind reef slopes, and in lagoons. It is generally uncommon and is seldom found deeper than 15 m.
Goniastrea favulus is a zooxanthellate species of coral, containing in its tissues many microscopic symbiotic dinoflagellates which during the day provide the coral with the products of photosynthesis. During the night, the polyps expand and extend their tentacles to catch zooplankton.
Colonies of Goniastrea favulus are simultaneous hermaphrodites and spawn once a year. Spawning is a synchronised event with all the colonies in a locality releasing their gametes into the sea at much the same time. The sperm is released in a jet while the eggs are negatively buoyant and surrounded by mucus and adhere to the colony. Although a majority of the eggs are cross-fertilised, a large number are self-fertilised. This contrasts with the closely related Goniastrea aspera and most other broadcast spawners, which release both eggs and sperm in discrete, buoyant egg-sperm bundles that float to the surface where fertilization occurs.
Source: Wikipedia: Goniastrea favulus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goniastrea_favulus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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