At a glance
Data from the scientific sources listed at the bottom.
Depth in the wild
1–40 m
Size
up to 100 cm
diameter of L. corymbosa colonies, which can be exceeded; the figure concerns only one species in the genus [4]
Conservation
IUCN Red List: not evaluated. CITES: Appendix II. The Red List assesses individual species, not the genus: L. hemprichii is listed as EN and L. corymbosa as VU, both with criterion A3ce and an assessment dated 11 July 2022. 3 4 In Palau, during a bleaching event, both showed high bleaching and high estimated mortality. 3 4 Appendix II covers all Scleractinia since 18 January 1990, excluding fossils; in the European Union the genus is in Annex B. 2
Where it lives
Open-access sources give the distribution by species, not for the genus. Species+ lists L. hemprichii, among others, in Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Sudan; in Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar and the Seychelles; in the Maldives; in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan; in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga, as far as French Polynesia and the Pitcairn Islands. 2
How to recognise it
Tap a number on the photo: the key explains what to look for.
Life in the wild
Behaviour
It can strike its neighbours: in New Caledonia Lobophyllia is among the massive genera with the longest attack distances even under baseline conditions, measured from the dead zones left on rival corals by its tentacles, which are rich in stinging cells. 9 As it grows, L. corymbosa loses the tissue linking the polyps, which nevertheless continue to recognise one another. 8
Reproduction
L. hemprichii is a hermaphrodite and releases its gametes into the sea. 5 The same colony releases eggs and sperm separately. 7 Mature oocytes measure about 810 micrometres in L. hemprichii and 600 in L. corymbosa, whose eggs lack zooxanthellae. 6 An Indo-Pacific database collects 64 spawning observations for 8 species in the genus. 7
In the aquarium
From the experience of the BallingMania community.
This genus of LPS coral, also known as "brain coral", includes various species (L. corymbosa, L. Aussie, L. hemprichii, etc.), also in rainbow varieties, and can be found in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific.
A very hardy coral, undemanding as far as light, water movement, organic load and so on are concerned; in fact in the wild it even manages to colonise tropical harbours. It reproduces by fission and by budding.
It suffers from the proximity of soft corals and/or corals with long tentacles, from calcium, alkalinity and magnesium being out of line, and from currents that are too strong, which would stop the calices from opening properly, so that, being also a photosynthetic coral, it would not feed enough. It can also be fed frozen food, such as mysis or Artemia, or target-fed with pellets, but always with the lights off or at night, when it extends its tentacles the most.
Keep it at a distance from other corals, because it tends to attack and burn its neighbours.
Photo and description by Loredana Prologo
What studies say about keeping it
Laboratory data, not advice for the tank. Colonies of L. hemprichii from the Australian ornamental trade kept in research tanks shared some bacteria of the internal cavity with corals collected in the wild. 11 In an experiment with artificial light at night, L. hemprichii, which extends its tentacles at night, was less disturbed than species that extend them by day. 10
Did you know?
Sources
- Hoeksema B.W., Cairns S., Samimi-Namin K. (2026). Lobophyllia de Blainville, 1830. World Register of Marine Species.
- UNEP-WCMC (2026). Lobophyllia hemprichii, distribution and CITES listing. Species+.
- SeaLifeBase (2026). Lobophyllia hemprichii, summary record. SeaLifeBase.
- SeaLifeBase (2026). Lobophyllia corymbosa, summary record. SeaLifeBase.
- Coral Trait Database (2026). Lobophyllia hemprichii in the Coral Trait Database: depth from Carpenter et al. (2008), sexual system from Willis et al. (1985). Coral Trait Database.
- Babcock R.C., Heyward A.J. (1986). Larval development of certain gamete-spawning scleractinian corals (record in the Coral Trait Database). Coral Reefs.
- Baird A.H. et al. (2021). An Indo-Pacific coral spawning database. Scientific Data.
- Brickner I., Oren U., Frank U., Loya Y. (2006). Energy integration between the solitary polyps of the clonal coral Lobophyllia corymbosa. Journal of Experimental Biology.
- Kayal M., Adjeroud M. (2022). The war of corals: patterns, drivers and implications of changing coral competitive performances across reef environments. Royal Society Open Science.
- Mardones M.L. et al. (2023). Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts behavioural patterns of reef corals. Marine Pollution Bulletin.
- Bollati E. et al. (2024). Microscale sampling of the coral gastrovascular cavity reveals a gut-like microbial community. Animal Microbiome.
- Alva García J.V. et al. (2026). Polyp size predicts metabolic rates across diverse tropical coral species. Communications Biology.
Sources checked on 5 November 2026. Community texts and ratings are kept separate from the scientific data.
