Characters: Colonies consist of small branching columns, usually oval in transverse section. Corallites have thick walls and septa. Six thick paliform lobes form a crown.
Colour: Dark grey-brown with white mouths and tentacle tips.
Similar Species: Goniopora pandoraensis and G. eclipsensis can only reliably be distinguished if both species occur together or by the colour of the polyps. Goniopora columna has larger columns and larger corallites.
Habitat: Shallow turbid reef environments.
Abundance: Usually uncommon.
Taxonomic References: Veron and Pichon (1982);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Nishihira and Veron (1995);
