A Guide toFlorida Coral

About the order: #1 is federally Endangered and #2–#7 are federally Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numbers #8–#25 are arranged for conservation education and reef importance; they are not an official government endangered-species ranking.

#1 Actual species photo • source ↗

Endangered

Pillar Coral

Dendrogyra cylindrus

ESA Endangered

Where it lives: Southern Florida and Caribbean reefs, usually on flat or gently sloping reef habitat.

Diet / energy: Energy from symbiotic algae plus plankton captured by its tentacles.

Needs to survive: Clean, stable reef water, suitable temperatures, hard substrate and enough surviving colonies for successful reproduction.

Biggest threats: Stony coral tissue loss disease, marine heatwaves, bleaching, pollution, acidification and extremely low population size.

Did you know? Its polyps commonly stay extended during the day, giving the upright pillars a fuzzy appearance.

#2 Actual species photo • source ↗

Threatened

Elkhorn Coral

Acropora palmata

ESA Threatened

Where it lives: Very shallow, high-energy reef crests and fore reefs.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae provide much of its energy; polyps also capture plankton.

Needs to survive: Strong sunlight, clean moving water, hard substrate and healthy shallow-reef conditions.

Biggest threats: Extreme heat, bleaching, disease, storms, acidification, pollution and physical damage.

Did you know? Its broad antler-like branches were once one of the dominant structures on shallow Florida and Caribbean reefs.

#3 Actual species photo • source ↗

Threatened

Staghorn Coral

Acropora cervicornis

ESA Threatened

Where it lives: Patch reefs, bank reefs, fore reefs and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton captured by extended polyps.

Needs to survive: Clear water, hard substrate, suitable temperatures and low algal overgrowth.

Biggest threats: Marine heatwaves, bleaching, disease, pollution, acidification and low successful recruitment.

Did you know? Healthy branches can grow quickly and broken fragments may reattach and form new colonies.

#4 Actual species photo • source ↗

Threatened

Lobed Star Coral

Orbicella annularis

ESA Threatened

Where it lives: Most reef environments, especially shallow lagoons and upper reef slopes.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Stable hard substrate, clean water, suitable temperatures and long periods without disturbance.

Biggest threats: Disease, ocean warming, bleaching, pollution, acidification and very low successful recruitment.

Did you know? Large colonies can live for hundreds of years but grow slowly.

#5 Actual species photo • source ↗

Threatened

Mountainous Star Coral

Orbicella faveolata

ESA Threatened

Where it lives: Patch reefs and fore reefs from shallow to deeper reef zones.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton captured by tentacles.

Needs to survive: Good water quality, stable reef structure, herbivory that limits algae and suitable temperatures.

Biggest threats: Bleaching, disease, ocean warming, acidification and land-based pollution.

Did you know? Massive colonies can form huge mound-like structures and historically helped build much of the Caribbean reef framework.

#6 Actual species photo • source ↗

Threatened

Boulder Star Coral

Orbicella franksi

ESA Threatened

Where it lives: Fore reefs and deeper reef habitat.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Clean water, stable chemistry, intact reef habitat and time to grow.

Biggest threats: Warming, bleaching, stony coral tissue loss disease, pollution and acidification.

Did you know? It is part of the Orbicella star-coral complex that was once a major builder of Caribbean reef framework.

#7 Actual species photo • source ↗

Threatened

Rough Cactus Coral

Mycetophyllia ferox

ESA Threatened

Where it lives: Patch reefs, reef slopes and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Clean water, hard substrate, stable temperatures and good water movement.

Biggest threats: Bleaching, disease, marine heatwaves, pollution and acidification.

Did you know? Its flattened plates are crossed by narrow winding valleys, giving it a cactus-like sculpted look.

#8 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Boulder Brain Coral

Colpophyllia natans

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Patch reefs, fore reefs and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton, often captured more actively after dark.

Needs to survive: Stable temperatures, light, clean water and long-term reef stability.

Biggest threats: Stony coral tissue loss disease, bleaching, heat stress, sediment and pollution.

Did you know? Its broad meandering valleys can make a mature colony look like a giant brain.

#9 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Grooved Brain Coral

Diploria labyrinthiformis

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Shallow reefs and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus suspended plankton.

Needs to survive: Clear water, suitable temperatures, hard substrate and room to grow.

Biggest threats: Heat stress, bleaching, disease, sediment and algal competition.

Did you know? The connected ridges and valleys form one of the classic maze-like brain-coral patterns.

#10 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Symmetrical Brain Coral

Pseudodiploria strigosa

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Shallow reefs, hardbottom and patch reefs.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Clean water, hard substrate, stable temperatures and adequate light.

Biggest threats: Stony coral tissue loss disease, bleaching, marine heatwaves and sediment.

Did you know? Its valleys often form a more regular and symmetrical pattern than many other brain corals.

#11 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Great Star Coral

Montastraea cavernosa

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: A broad depth range from shallow reefs to deeper mesophotic habitat.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton; its large polyps often extend after dark.

Needs to survive: Stable reef habitat, good water quality and suitable temperature and chemistry.

Biggest threats: Bleaching, disease, extreme temperatures and water-quality decline.

Did you know? It has some of the largest individual corallites among common Florida reef-building corals.

#12 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Massive Starlet Coral

Siderastrea siderea

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Reefs and hardbottom across a wide depth range.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Stable hard substrate, clean water and tolerable temperature and chemistry.

Biggest threats: Stony coral tissue loss disease, bleaching, warming and pollution.

Did you know? Large colonies can grow into smooth boulders covered with thousands of tiny star-shaped corallites.

#13 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Mustard Hill Coral

Porites astreoides

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Shallow reefs and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Sunlight, hard substrate, good water quality and stable temperature.

Biggest threats: Heat stress, bleaching, disease, predation and sediment.

Did you know? Its rounded yellow-brown growth form inspired the common name “mustard hill.”

#14 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Lettuce Coral

Agaricia agaricites

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Shallow reef, hardbottom, mangrove-edge habitat and deeper reef slopes.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Hard substrate, stable temperature and enough light for the depth it occupies.

Biggest threats: Bleaching, disease, sediment and warming.

Did you know? It can grow as plates, sheets or lettuce-like folds and occurs across an unusually broad depth range.

#15 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Maze Coral

Meandrina meandrites

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Patch reefs, reef slopes and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Clean moving water, light, hard substrate and stable reef conditions.

Biggest threats: Stony coral tissue loss disease, bleaching, warming and pollution.

Did you know? Its narrow ridges and valleys form an intricate maze pattern that is easy to recognize up close.

#16 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Elliptical Star Coral

Dichocoenia stokesii

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Reefs and hardbottom, including Florida Keys reef habitat.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Good water quality, stable temperatures, hard substrate and adequate light.

Biggest threats: Stony coral tissue loss disease, bleaching, warming and poor water quality.

Did you know? Its corallites are frequently oval or elliptical rather than round.

#17 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Smooth Flower Coral

Eusmilia fastigiata

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Patch reefs and protected reef habitat.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton captured by its fleshy tentacles.

Needs to survive: Clean water, suitable light, stable temperature and hard substrate.

Biggest threats: Stony coral tissue loss disease, bleaching, heat stress and sediment.

Did you know? Its fleshy polyps sit in branching clusters that can resemble a bouquet of small flowers.

#18 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Blushing Star Coral

Stephanocoenia intersepta

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Reefs and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Clean water, hard substrate and stable temperatures.

Biggest threats: Stony coral tissue loss disease, bleaching and marine heatwaves.

Did you know? The colony can appear to “blush” as contrasting tissue colors become visible when the polyps retract.

#19 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Clubtip Finger Coral

Porites porites

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Shallow reefs and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Clear water, sunlight, stable temperatures and hard substrate.

Biggest threats: Bleaching, warming, sediment and physical breakage.

Did you know? The ends of its finger-like branches can look swollen or club-shaped.

#20 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Branched Finger Coral

Porites furcata

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Shallow reef, patch reef and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Clean shallow water, light and hard substrate.

Biggest threats: Bleaching, warming, sediment and branch breakage.

Did you know? Its branches repeatedly fork, creating compact bushy colonies that shelter small reef animals.

#21 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Lesser Starlet Coral

Siderastrea radians

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Very shallow hardbottom, seagrass-edge and nearshore habitat.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Hard substrate, light and tolerance of variable shallow-water conditions.

Biggest threats: Heat stress, sediment, poor water quality and physical disturbance.

Did you know? This small starlet coral can tolerate surprisingly shallow and variable habitats.

#22 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Rose Coral

Manicina areolata

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Shallow sandy bottoms, seagrass edges and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton.

Needs to survive: Shallow light, relatively clean water and suitable bottom habitat.

Biggest threats: Sediment, heat stress, habitat disturbance and poor water quality.

Did you know? Some colonies can live loose on sandy bottoms instead of remaining permanently attached to reef rock.

#23 Actual species photo • source ↗

High Concern / Reef Importance

Spiny Flower Coral

Mussa angulosa

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Patch reefs, fore reefs and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Symbiotic algae plus plankton and other small suspended prey.

Needs to survive: Clean reef habitat, suitable light and stable water chemistry.

Biggest threats: Disease, warming, bleaching, sediment and physical damage.

Did you know? Its large fleshy polyps can expand dramatically over the hard skeleton beneath them.

#24 Actual species photo • source ↗

Florida Octocoral

Purple Sea Fan

Gorgonia ventalina

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Shallow reef and hardbottom communities.

Diet / energy: Polyps capture suspended food; photosynthetic symbionts also contribute energy.

Needs to survive: Moving water, hard attachment surfaces, good water quality and suitable light.

Biggest threats: Heat stress, disease, sediment, entanglement and direct physical damage.

Did you know? Sea fans often grow with their broad surface across the prevailing current, helping expose more polyps to passing food.

#25 Actual species photo • source ↗

Florida Octocoral

Bipinnate Sea Plume

Antillogorgia bipinnata

Not ESA-listed

Where it lives: Reefs and hardbottom.

Diet / energy: Suspended food captured by polyps plus energy from photosynthetic symbionts.

Needs to survive: Moving water, hard substrate, good water quality and appropriate light.

Biggest threats: Heat stress, disease, sediment and physical breakage.

Did you know? Its feather-like branches are arranged in a distinctly pinnate pattern.

Photo note: each coral card links to the Wikimedia Commons file page for the photograph shown. Many of the selected images are NOAA public-domain photographs; others are Creative Commons photographs with attribution and license details available from the source link.