Lobed Flowerpot Coral

Details

Goniopora lobata is a classic “flowerpot coral” in family Poritidae (order Scleractinia). Its polyps bear long, flower‑like tentacles that extend en masse by day, giving the colony a blooming appearance. It hosts zooxanthellae (Symbiodiniaceae) for photosynthesis and also captures micro‑zooplankton/particulates.

Ecology & Biology

• Nutrition: primarily photosynthetic; nocturnal particulate/zooplankton feeding supplements energy intake.

• Growth form: colonies are massive to hemispherical with rounded lobes.

• Reproduction: sexual broadcast spawning/planulation plus asexual budding; colonies are multi‑year.

Identification

Individual polyps have long stalked tentacles; a common genus‑level cue is ~24 tentacles per polyp (vs. ~12 in Alveopora). Corallites are closely spaced and relatively even; colours include pale to bright greens, brown‑greens, grey‑browns, sometimes with fluorescent green oral discs. Polyps retract at night or when disturbed, exposing a perforated skeletal surface.

Colony size & Longevity

• Colony diameter: typically 20–60 cm; up to 1 m+ on healthy reefs.

• Tentacle length: ~1–5 cm depending on light/flow.

• Life: long‑lived reef builder (years to decades).

Range & Habitat

Widespread across the tropical Indo‑Pacific (Indian Ocean to W. Pacific, SE Asia, northern Australia), on lagoons, back‑reefs and upper outer‑reef zonesover sand/rubble or hard substrata at ~3–25+ m. Prefers moderate light and gentle–moderate flow; sensitive to persistent heavy sedimentation.

Threats & Conservation

• Thermal stress & bleaching during heatwaves.

• Sedimentation/pollution that reduces photosynthesis and clogs polyp mouths.

• Physical damage from storms, anchoring, trampling and unsustainable collection.

IUCN: sources vary; for consistency here it is marked as Not Evaluated (NE). Management priorities include protecting healthy reef tracts, managing nutrients/sediments and regulating tourism/trade.