DiscoverSpeciesCorals and anemones
knob coral
Dipsastraea pallida
- Usual depth2–42 m
- Water temperature22–30 °C
- Best monthsApril and May
- How commonOccasional
About this species
Dipsastraea pallida is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This is a common species of coral with a widespread distribution, and the main threat it faces is from the destruction of its coral reef habitats. It is rated as a "least-concern species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This species was first described in 1846 as Favia pallida by the American zoologist James Dwight Dana; it was later transferred to the genus Dipsastraea, but some authorities continue to use the original name.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Dipsastraea pallida”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 13 records
- February: 42 records
- March: 47 records
- April: 182 records
- May: 123 records
- June: 21 records
- July: 17 records
- August: 105 records
- September: 17 records
- October: 6 records
- November: 11 records
- December: 7 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 2–42 m · Deepest record: 67 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 22–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- knob coral
Names in 3 more languages
- French
- Dipsastrée pâle
- Japanese
- ウスチャキクメイシ
- Simplified Chinese
- 圈紋菊珊瑚
Other scientific names: Astraea (Favia) okeni, Astraea (Favia) tubulifera, Astraea (Fissicella) denticulata, Astraea (Fissicella) pallida, Astraea cellulosa, Astraea denticulata, Astraea doreyensis, Astraea okeni, Astraea ordinata, Astraea pallida, Astraea putnami, Astrea (Favia) ordinata, Astrea cellulosa, Astrea okeni, Astrea ordinata, Astrea pallida, Favia amplior, Favia cellulosa, Favia denticulata, Favia doreyensis, Favia laccadivica, Favia okeni, Favia pallida, Favia paucisepta, Favia putnami, Favia tubulifera, Goniastraea serrata, Goniastrea serrata, Heliastrea borradailei, Parastrea amplior
Similar species
knob coralDipsastraea speciosa
- Head Coral
Dipsastraea favus
Lesser knob coralCyphastrea serailia
Hedgehog coralEchinopora lamellosa
- false knob coral
Astrea curta
- Larger star coral
Favites abdita
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.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 1,249 open-data records from 1846 to 2023.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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