Lesser knob coral

Cyphastrea serailia

Corals and anemones
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth2–13 m
Water temperature20–29 °C
Best monthsMay
How commonOccasional

All species

Photo credit: (c) Philippe Bourjon, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 21 records
February: 28 records
March: 6 records
April: 12 records
May: 84 records
June: 32 records
July: 13 records
August: 46 records
September: 19 records
October: 16 records
November: 11 records
December: 16 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 2–13 m · Deepest record: 725 m

0–10 m: 294 records
10–20 m: 44 records
20–30 m: 11 records
30–40 m: 5 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 20–29 °C

20–22 °C: 8 records
22–24 °C: 70 records
24–26 °C: 188 records
26–28 °C: 132 records
28–30 °C: 77 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Lesser knob coral, lesser knob coral

Names in 2 more languages

Japanese: フカトゲキクメイシ, マダラトゲキクメシ
Simplified Chinese: 砂細菊珊瑚

Other scientific names: Cyphastraea danae, Cyphastraea forskaelana, Cyphastraea forskaliana, Cyphastraea gibbosa, Cyphastraea hemprichana, Cyphastraea incrustans, Cyphastraea maldivensis, Cyphastraea serailia, Cyphastraea serialis, Cyphastraea suvadivae, Cyphastrea brueggemanni, Cyphastrea conferta, Cyphastrea danai, Cyphastrea hemprichiana, Cyphastrea incrustans, Cyphastrea laticostata, Cyphastrea sairailia, Cyphastrea seraila, Cyphastrea serialia, Cyphastrea serialis, Cyphastrea suvadivae, Heliastraea (Solenastraea) hemprichii, Madrepora conicotruncata, Madrepora incrustans, Madrepora serailia, Solenastraea hemprichi, Solenastrea forskaelana, Solenastrea forskaeliana, Solenastrea forskaliana, Solenastrea gibbosa

Similar species

knob coral
Dipsastraea speciosa
Head Coral
Dipsastraea favus
knob coral
Dipsastraea pallida
Elegance coral
Catalaphyllia jardinei

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).
1,164 open-data records from 1775 to 2011.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist