Characters: Colonies are submassive to encrusting, sometimes forming irregular columns. They commonly exceed one metre across. Corallites are thin walled and angular. Septa are few in number. Paliform lobes are well developed, commonly forming a conspicuous crown.
Colour: Often brightly coloured, brown or red, commonly with green oral discs.
Similar Species: Favites bestae and F. micropentagona. The paliform crown makes this species Goniastrea-like.
Habitat: Shallow reef environments.
Abundance: Sometimes common.
Taxonomic Note: A species complex.
Taxonomic References: Wijsman-Best (1972); Veron, Pichon and Wijsman-Best (1977);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Sheppard and Sheppard (1991); Nishihira and Veron (1995); Carpenter, Harrison, Hodgson et al. (1997); Pillay, Terashima, Venkatasami et al. (2002); Chan, Choi, McCorry et al. (2005); Pichon, Benzoni, Chaineau et al. (2010); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);