Characters: Colonies are thick submassive plates and irregular columns. Corallites are both immersed and exsert, the latter having a prominent ring of fused thecal papillae. Fine ridges of coenosteum, which are mostly vertical on branches, join corallites forming a network.
Colour: Pale brown.
Similar Species: Montipora nodosa, which has similar corallites. Montipora hispida exposed to wave action can have a similar appearance underwater.
Habitat: Shallow reef environments exposed to strong wave action.
Abundance: Rare.
Taxonomic Note: Western Indian Ocean occurrences are possibly a separate species.
Taxonomic References: Veron and Wallace (1984); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Pillay, Terashima, Venkatasami et al. (2002);
