Characters: Colonies may be submassive, laminar, columnar or digitate or various combinations of these growth-forms. Laminar and digitate forms are usually found in turbid water, submassive and columnar forms occur on reef slopes. Corallites are both immersed and exsert, the latter having prominent thecal papillae. Shorter papillae also occur on the coenosteum, which is coarse.
Colour: Pale brown, sometimes with white branch tips and white tentacles.
Similar Species: Montipora cactus, which has less exsert corallites. See also M. gaimardi and M. grisea, which have similar corallites.
Habitat: Most turbid water habitats.
Abundance: Common on the Great Barrier Reef, usually uncommon elsewhere.
Taxonomic Note: A species complex.
Taxonomic References: Veron and Wallace (1984); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Nishihira and Veron (1995); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
