Platygyra contorta

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Platygyra contorta · Authority: Veron, 1990 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 289205.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=289205 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Platygyra contorta. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Depth range: 0–30 m · Habitat zone: sessile.

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 46793) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Platygyra-contorta.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

307 georeferenced occurrence records for Platygyra contorta are published through GBIF from 5 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 51 distinct locations from a sample of 307 records, omitting 14 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: Japan (204); Australia (100); New Caledonia (1); Papua New Guinea (1); South Africa (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5184730) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5184730&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=289205 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Platygyra contorta 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 133161) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/133161/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5184730) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5184730/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Platygyra contorta is a colonial species found in columnar or encrusting structures. It is light yellow, green, grey, or red in colour, and it has thin walls. Its septa are non-uniform and its valleys are curved and short at the centre of colonies, becoming linear and long at the margins of colonies.

Colonies have diameters often exceeding 1 m. Its valleys measure between 3.5 and 5 mm in width. The species has a similar appearance to Goniastrea deformis and Platygyra verweyi.

It is found in the eastern and western Indian Ocean, and the northwestern, eastern central, and western central Pacific Ocean. In Japan, it is common near the mainland (Honshu), and is uncommon in the Ryukyu Islands. It also occurs in Australia, Vietnam, Yemen, Madagascar, Fiji, Thailand, the Marshall Islands, and East Africa.

The species is found at depths of between 2 and 20 m in lagoons, shallow reefs, and on rocks. Its population is thought to be decreasing and the species is threatened by climate change, the acidification of oceans, coral disease, fishing, human activities, and bleaching. The species is listed under Appendix II of CITES and has been identified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Specimens of Platygyra contorta were studied in 1977 but identified as Platygyra rustica. It was first described by John Edward Norwood Veron in 1990.

Source: Wikipedia: Platygyra contorta — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platygyra_contorta (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.