Characters: Colonies are laminae sometimes forming whorls or tiers and upright branches, which are usually fused. Sometimes columnar. The coenosteum is coarse with elongate coenostial papillae which are sometimes fused into short irregular ridges.
Colour: Brown or green, with white tips to papillae.
Similar Species: Branches are intermediate in size between Montipora stellata and M. cactus. See M. porites, which has deeply excavated corallites.
Habitat: Upper reef slopes.
Abundance: Common.
Taxonomic References: Nemenzo (1967); Veron and Hodgson (1989); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Nishihira and Veron (1995);
