Corallum light, hemispherical clump attached by narrow, short stalk. Stems numerous, flabellate, closely asastomosing and fusing and producing extensive palmation and, o upper portion, horizontal platoforms from which terminal branchlets arise. Branchlets slightly tapering, blunt projections, 0.5-1.5 cm high, 5-7 mm across at their midpoints; apices 1-1.5 cm apart. Entire corallum around 23 cm across, 14 cm high; its upper surface resembling an oversized sea urchin because of the abundance of branchlets.

A stem 12cm from base to tip is alive only on the terminal 5cm. Corallites relatively shallow, circumscribed by thin polygonal wall which becomes obsolete towards base of branches; up to 1.2 mm diameter.

Septal formula of Porites discernible with 5 to 6 slender frosted pali; sometimes triplet or other septa incomplete so that formula hard to make out. Septa filling up fossa so interseptal loculi obscured. Columella seldom present so center of calicinal fossa appears as deep pit “visible like a pin-hole to the naked eye.”

Section of branchlet exhibits a porous medulla from which radiate traberculae joined by concentric rings of skeletal elements.

Remarks:The foregoing description is based on C-1108. C-1343 is a smaller colony, still not very crowded, having stouter branchlets; some corallites have columella consisting of a single tiny tubercle with a radiating base.

Source:Nemenzo F (1971) Systematic studies on Philippine shallow water scleractinians: VII. Additional Forms. Nat. Appli. Sci. Bull. 23:141-209.p pls.