Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Porites lobata Dana, 1846

coral pétreo, Stony coral, finger coral

Colonies are often large (up to 2m wide and 1m high), helmet shaped or hemispherical.

Found no suitable substrates in shallow water to depths of at least 30 m. Heavily impacted upon by the La Nina conditions of 2007.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Cnidaria

Class
Anthozoa

Order
Scleractinia

Family
Poritidae

Genus
Porites

Species
lobata

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Caulastrea tumida Matthai, 1928

Origin: Native

Status

Near threatened

Distribution

Distribution: Hawaii, the tropical Indo-Pacific, eastern Africa, and the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to Ecuador, including the far-northern and western Bioregions of Galapagos Islands in throughout, except Fernandina and W Isabela

References

  • Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
  • Hickman, C.P. Jr. (2008) A field guide to corals and other radiates of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 162 pp.
  • Wells, J.W. (1983) Annotated list of the scleractinian corals of the Galápagos. In: Glynn, P.W. & Wellington, G.M.: Corals and coral reefs of the Galápagos Islands. University of California Press, Berkley, Los Angeles, London, 213-291 p.
  • Bustamante, R.H. Vinueza, L.R., Smith, F., Banks, S., Calvopiña, M., Francisco, V., Chiriboga, A., Harris, J. (2002) Comunidades submareales rocosas I: Organismos sésiles y mesoinvertebrados móviles. In: Danulat, E. & Edgar, G.J. (eds.) (2002): Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea Base de la Biodiversidad. Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador, p. 38-67.
  • Hickman, C.P. Jr. Chiriboga, A., Ober, W.C. (2005) A field guide to corals of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 54 pp.
  • Durham, W.J. (1962) Corals from the Galapagos and Cocos Islands. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 32 (2): 41-56.
  • Hickman, C.P. Jr. (2009) Evolutionary Responses of Marine Invertebrates to Insular Isolation in Galapagos. Journal of Science and Conservation in the Galapagos Islands, p. 32-42.
  • Banks, S. Vera, M. & Chiriboga, A. (2009) Establishing Reference Points to Assess Long-Term Change in Zooxanthellate Coral Communities of the Northern Galapagos Coral Reefs. J. Sci. Conserv. in the Galapagos Islands, p. 43-64.

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Porites lobata", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7937. Accessed 30 April 2025.