Favia pallida (Dana 1846)

kingdom Animalia phylum Cnidaria class Anthozoa order Scleractinia family Faviidae Gregory, 1900 genus Favia

Description
Diagnostic Description
Taxonomic Description & Diagnosis Colonies are massive, corallites plocoid or ploco-cerioid. Corallites at the sides of large colonies and on colonies from protected or turbid waters are circular and scattered, with thin skeletal structure. Corallites of coralla from exposed biotopes are irregularly squashed together and moderately exsert. Calices averaging 6-10 mm in diameter and are seldom more than 2 mm exsert. Septa are widely spaced and irregular, may appear to be in one, two or three orders. First order septa are usually more exsert; second and third order septa, when present, are slightly thinner than those of the first order. All septa are regularly dentate, the dentations always relatively short. Paliform lobes may form a well defined crown, or may be inconspicuous or absent. Costae are usually equal when present, and are regularly dentate or beaded. They may be almost any color underwater. Usually the coenosarcs is pale yellow, cream or green, the oral disc dark-brown or green. Author(s): Dai, Chang-Feng

Remarks
It is one of the most common faviid, illustrating a wide range of intra-biotope variation, and often a dominant of back reef margins. Intrabiotope variation is minimal in exposed localities such as outer reef fronts, and increases with increasing water turbidity and protection from wave action. Author(s): Dai, Chang-Feng

Ecology and Distribution

Distribution
Occurrence All reef areas around Taiwan and offshore islets. Distribution Widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Samoa. Author(s): Dai, Chang-Feng

Ecology
Occurs in all reef environments, especially reef flat or reef front where the current is strong. Author(s): Dai, Chang-Feng

Taxonomy

Astraea (Fissicella) pallida Dana (1846) (synonym) Favia amplior (Edwards & Haime); Yabe & Sugiyama (1935). (synonym) Favia okeni Edwards & Haime (1857); Yabe & Sugiyama (1935) (synonym) Favia pallida (Dana); Vaughan (1918); Yabe & Sugiyama (1935);Yabe et al. (1936); Eguchi (1938); Wells (1954); Nemenzo (1959); Chevalier (1968, 1971); Utinomi (1971); Scheer & Pillai (1974). (synonym)

Common Names
????? (Chinese)

References
Chevalier, J. P. (1968). Expdition Franiase sur les rcifs coralliens de la Nouvelle-Caldonie . 155 p.

Chevalier, J. P. (1971). Les sclractiniaires de la Mlansie Franaise. I Expdition Franiase sur les rcifs cor de la Nouvelle-Caldonie . 307 p. Dana, J. (1846). Zoophytes. Unites States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842.. 7, Milne-Edwards, H., & Haime J. (1857). Histoire naturelle des coralliaires, tome 1-3. Nemenzo, F. (1959). Systematic studies on Philippine shallow-water scleractinians. II: Suborder Faviida. Nat Appl Sci Bull Univ Philippines. 18, 1-21. Scheer, G., & Pillai C. S. G. (1974). Report on the Scleractinia from the Nicobar Islands. Zoologica (Stuttgart). 122, 75 p.. Utinomi, H. (1971). Scleractinian corals from Kamae Bay, Oita Prefecture, Northeast of Kyushu, Japan. Publ Seto Mar Biol Lab. 19(4), 203-229. Vaughan, T. W. (1918). Some shoal-water corals from Murray Islands, Cocos-Keeling Islands and Fanning Islands. Papers Dep Mar Biol Carnegie Inst Washington. 9, 51-234. Wells, J. W. (1954). Recent corals of the Marshall Islands. Bikini and nearby atolls, part 2 Oceanography (Biologic). US Geol Survey Professional Papers. 260, 384-486. Yabe, H., & Sugiyama T. (1935). Geological and geographical distribution of reef-corals in Japan. J Paleont. 9, 183-217.

Fig. 226 Photographer:

Submitted by: Dai, Chang-Feng

Fig. 227 Photographer: Submitted by: Dai, Chang-Feng