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LEXICON

 

 

Moon Coral

Thai. Name of a type of Brain Coral (fig.), with the scientific designation Favia pallida and known in Thai as pa-kahrang wongwaen (ปะการังวงแหวน), i.e. ring coral. It is also commonly known as Pineapple Coral, Knob Coral, Crater Coral and Star Coral, among several other names. It belongs to the genus Favia, in the family Mussidae, or sometimes in the family Faviidae, of which individual species demonstrate a great diversity. It is widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea to Samoa, and occurs in all reef environments, especially where the current is strong. The Moon Coral is spherical in shape and has a grooved surface, but not with folds resembling a mammal's brain, as is the case with many other members of this family, yet it has a rather crater-like pattern instead. It may be of almost any colour. See also POSTAGE STAMP.