Characters: Colonies are flat, narrow and elongate, usually with pointed ends. Mouths occur only within the axial furrow, which runs to the tips of the colony. Usually all septo-costae extend from the axial furrow to the perimeter. Tentacles may be extended day and night.
Colour: Pale brown or mottled.
Similar Species: Herpolitha limax, which has secondary centres and seldom has axial furrows extending the full length of the colony. These species are only reliably separable where they co-occur.
Habitat: Shallow reef environments.
Abundance: Uncommon.
Taxonomic Note: Considered a synonym of Herpolitha limaxby Hoeksema (1989a), when co-occurring these species show consistent morphological differences.
Taxonomic References: Veron and Pichon (1980); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Nishihira and Veron (1995); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
