Characters: Colonies are massive, becoming thin encrusting plates where light levels are low. They commonly grow as mobile balls (coralliths). Corallites are tall and conical; compact in colonies exposed to strong light, widely spaced in encrusting colonies. They usually have 10 primary septa although this varies among corallites.
Colour: Brown, cream or green, sometimes other colours. Septa are commonly white.
Similar Species: Cyphastrea microphthalma is readily identified by its 10 primary septa which are visible underwater.
Habitat: Most reef environments.
Abundance: Common, but less so than C. serailia.
Taxonomic Note: The type species of Cyphastrea Milne Edwards and Haime, 1848 by subsequent designation, Matthai (1928). It is very polymorphic.
Taxonomic References: Chevalier (1975); Veron, Pichon and Wijsman-Best (1977); Wijsman-Best (1980); Veron (2000a); Huang, Benzoni, Fukami et al. (2014);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Sheppard and Sheppard (1991); Nishihira and Veron (1995); Coles (1996); Carpenter, Harrison, Hodgson et al. (1997); Pillay, Terashima, Venkatasami et al. (2002); Chan, Choi, McCorry et al. (2005); Pichon, Benzoni, Chaineau et al. (2010); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
