Characters: Colonies are encrusting, laminar or columnar, the tops of columns commonly having vertical or flame-shaped ridges. Encrusting colonies may have rootlets. Corallites are immersed, without papillae and are aligned vertically between ridges on columns. The coenosteum is coarse; this can be seen underwater.
Colour: Usually mottled or uniform brown, cream or blue, sometimes with distinctly coloured margins.
Similar Species: M. incrassata and M. spongodes, which have a fine coenosteum.
Habitat: Most reef environments.
Abundance: Common.
Taxonomic References: Veron and Wallace (1984); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Nishihira and Veron (1995); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
