Characters: Colonies are commonly over 5 metres across and are composed of contorted branches and flat plates. Rarely submassive. Corallites are conical, 7-10 millimetres diameter. The coenosteum is smooth or nearly so. Costae are smooth or slightly beaded. Columellae are twisted into a spiral.
Colour: Distinctive cream with blue (which may photograph purple) corallites.
Similar Species: Echinopora horrida and E. gemmacea may both have similar growth-forms but both have spines down their costae and a spiny coenosteum.
Habitat: Shallow water, especially lagoons and back reef margins.
Abundance: Common.
Taxonomic Note: Taxonomically isolated species with no clear affinities.
Taxonomic References: Nemenzo (1959); Veron, Pichon and Wijsman-Best (1977); Wijsman-Best (1980); Veron (2000a); Huang, Benzoni, Fukami et al. (2014);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Nishihira and Veron (1995);
