Leaf coral

Pavona decussata

Corals and anemones
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth2–13 m
Water temperature10–29 °C
Best monthsMay
How commonOccasional

About this species

Pavona decussata, sometimes known as leaf coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Agariciidae. It is found in shallow water in various reef habitats, particularly on gently sloping surfaces, in tropical parts of the western and central Indo-Pacific region.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Pavona decussata”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 0 records
February: 9 records
March: 6 records
April: 7 records
May: 36 records
June: 5 records
July: 8 records
August: 12 records
September: 9 records
October: 2 records
November: 4 records
December: 4 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 2–13 m · Deepest record: 24 m

0–10 m: 156 records
10–20 m: 29 records
20–30 m: 4 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 10–29 °C

10–12 °C: 2 records
12–14 °C: 2 records
14–16 °C: 0 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 2 records
22–24 °C: 18 records
24–26 °C: 136 records
26–28 °C: 97 records
28–30 °C: 58 records

Names and classification

English: Leaf coral, Cactus Coral, leaf coral

Names in 2 more languages

Japanese: シコロサンゴ
Simplified Chinese: 板葉雀屏珊瑚

Other scientific names: Lophoseris crassa, Lophoseris lata, Pavona crassa, Pavona lata, Pavona seriata, Pavonia crassa, Pavonia decussata, Pavonia lata, Pavonia loculata, Pavonia seriata

Similar species

Leaf coral
Pavona cactus
Leaf coral
Pavona frondifera
Lettuce-leaf coral
Agaricia tenuifolia
Lowrelief lettuce coral
Agaricia humilis
Porcelain coral
Leptoseris explanata
Porcelain coral
Leptoseris gardineri

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).
554 open-data records from 1846 to 2019.

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