Leaf coral

Pavona varians

Corals and anemones
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth1–48 m
Water temperature23–29 °C
Best monthsFebruary and April
How commonCommon

Photo credit: no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

About this species

Pavona varians, also known by its common name corrugated coral, is a species from the genus Pavona. Pavona varians is a type of hermatypic coral commonly distributed across tropic environments. Distribution of the coral include the equatorial Indian and Pacific Ocean, and notably, not found in the Atlantic Ocean. Pavona varians have also been found to be distributed as North as the sea of Japan, in the Red Sea, and islands off the Pacific coast of Columbia and Costa Rica. Pavona varians are typically found an average of 45 feet below water on vertical surfaces in turbid, nutrient rich, water. Specifically, Pavona varians are found between crevices of the reef crest habitats and back reef habitats, including lagoons.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Pavona varians”, 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: 83 records
February: 2,082 records
March: 384 records
April: 2,960 records
May: 996 records
June: 120 records
July: 84 records
August: 117 records
September: 177 records
October: 812 records
November: 303 records
December: 74 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–48 m · Deepest record: 253 m

0–10 m: 944 records
10–20 m: 293 records
20–30 m: 131 records
30–40 m: 1,300 records
40–50 m: 4,524 records
50–60 m: 334 records
60–70 m: 50 records
70–80 m: 17 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 4 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 23–29 °C

22–24 °C: 4 records
24–26 °C: 117 records
26–28 °C: 105 records
28–30 °C: 628 records

Photos

(c) Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Ryan McMinds, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) keesgroenendijk, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Leaf coral, Corrugated Coral, False Brain Coral, leaf coral

Names in 1 more languages

Japanese: シワシコロサンゴ

Other scientific names: Lophoseris percarinata, Lophoseris repens, Pavona (Pavona) varians, Pavona intermedia, Pavona percarinata, Pavona repens, Pavona variens, Pavonia intermedia, Pavonia percarinata, Pavonia repens, Pavonia varians

Similar species

Leaf coral
Pavona cactus
Leaf coral
Pavona clavus
Leaf coral
Pavona decussata
Leaf coral
Pavona duerdeni
Leaf coral
Pavona explanulata
Leaf coral
Pavona gigantea

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).
7,956 open-data records from 1864 to 2019.
Species data updated November 5, 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