Characters: Colonies are massive and divided into parallel or irregular ridges or hillocks. They form some of the largest massive colonies of all corals, yet skeletons are dense indicating a slow growth rate. Corallites are small, giving colonies a smooth appearance. They have strongly alternating septo-costae.
Colour: Usually uniform grey, sometimes brown.
Similar Species: Corallites are like Pavona clavus but smaller, with more exsert primary septo-costae. See also P. minuta.
Habitat: Most reef environments and forms large colonies on horizontal shallow substrates.
Abundance: Uncommon but conspicuousRare in the Red Sea.
Taxonomic References: Veron and Pichon (1980) as Pavona minuta; Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a) as Pavona minuta; Sheppard and Sheppard (1991) as Pavona minuta; Nishihira and Veron (1995) as Pavona minuta; Pillay, Terashima, Venkatasami et al. (2002); Fenner (2005); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
