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DiscoverSpeciesCorals and anemones

Lesser knob coral

Cyphastrea chalcidicum

  • Corals and anemones
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth1–14 m
  • Water temperature11–30 °C
  • Best monthsJanuary and May
  • How commonOccasional
All species

Photo credit: (c) Thomas Mesaglio, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 17 records
  • February: 7 records
  • March: 2 records
  • April: 9 records
  • May: 26 records
  • June: 2 records
  • July: 12 records
  • August: 14 records
  • September: 8 records
  • October: 9 records
  • November: 1 records
  • December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–14 m · Deepest record: 40.5 m

  • 0–10 m: 112 records
  • 10–20 m: 15 records
  • 20–30 m: 3 records
  • 30–40 m: 2 records
  • 40–50 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 11–30 °C

  • 10–12 °C: 1 records
  • 12–14 °C: 0 records
  • 14–16 °C: 0 records
  • 16–18 °C: 0 records
  • 18–20 °C: 0 records
  • 20–22 °C: 5 records
  • 22–24 °C: 29 records
  • 24–26 °C: 126 records
  • 26–28 °C: 95 records
  • 28–30 °C: 73 records

Names and classification

English
Lesser knob coral, lesser knob coral
Names in 2 more languages
Japanese
コトゲキクメイシ
Simplified Chinese
碓突細菊珊瑚

Other scientific names: Cyphastraea bowerbankii, Cyphastraea chalcidicum, Cyphastrea capitata, Madrepora chalcidicum, Solenastrea bowerbanki, Solenastrea bowerbankii

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 446 open-data records from 1775 to 2012.
  • Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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