Dr. John Edward Norwood "Charlie" Veron, Australien
Info
In principle, identifying brain corals, especially the species Favites and Favia, is not easy, as is the case with many LPS species and even Acropora.
We ourselves are not always 100% sure about the classification, despite good reference works such as Veron.
Therefore, it is always possible that a species is not 100% correctly identified.
However, it is safe to say that Favia and Favites can be recognized by their separate corallite walls.
Favia has separate corallite walls, Favites does not.
Care requirements for Favites species.
Light/placement: Medium – bottom to middle zone
Current: Medium to turbulent, but never direct!
Food: Supplementary feeding is not necessary, but will be accepted.
Important note:
It is essential to maintain a distance from other corals (stinging by combat tentacles).
Corals of the World:
Characteristics: The colonies are massive and round. The corallites are flat, angular to subplokoid, with thin walls. The septa are straight and uniform. The septa of neighboring corallites are aligned across the wall. There are no paliform lobes.
Color: Mostly yellow or greenish-brown.
Similar species: Favites complanata, which has larger, more hollowed-out corallites with thicker walls. See also Favites bestae.
Habitat: A variety of reef environments.
Frequency: Rare.
Taxonomic note: This species was incorrectly synonymised with Favites flexuosa by Veron, Pichon and Wijsman-Best (1977). Source reference: Veron (2000). Taxonomic reference: Scheer and Pillai (1983, as F. flexuosa). Additional identification guide: Sheppard and Sheppard (1991, as F. flexuosa).
We ourselves are not always 100% sure about the classification, despite good reference works such as Veron.
Therefore, it is always possible that a species is not 100% correctly identified.
However, it is safe to say that Favia and Favites can be recognized by their separate corallite walls.
Favia has separate corallite walls, Favites does not.
Care requirements for Favites species.
Light/placement: Medium – bottom to middle zone
Current: Medium to turbulent, but never direct!
Food: Supplementary feeding is not necessary, but will be accepted.
Important note:
It is essential to maintain a distance from other corals (stinging by combat tentacles).
Corals of the World:
Characteristics: The colonies are massive and round. The corallites are flat, angular to subplokoid, with thin walls. The septa are straight and uniform. The septa of neighboring corallites are aligned across the wall. There are no paliform lobes.
Color: Mostly yellow or greenish-brown.
Similar species: Favites complanata, which has larger, more hollowed-out corallites with thicker walls. See also Favites bestae.
Habitat: A variety of reef environments.
Frequency: Rare.
Taxonomic note: This species was incorrectly synonymised with Favites flexuosa by Veron, Pichon and Wijsman-Best (1977). Source reference: Veron (2000). Taxonomic reference: Scheer and Pillai (1983, as F. flexuosa). Additional identification guide: Sheppard and Sheppard (1991, as F. flexuosa).
