10. Montastrea cavernosa 

Montastrea cavernosa has massive colonies that morphologically vary in relation to depth. The shallow water forms are hemispheric and sometimes columnar. The corals found on the lateral walls of reefs at depths greater than 5 m are fringed, and those found at depths greater than 20 m are flattened and encrusted. The calices are regular and have thick lateral walls. The color of the live animal is yellowish brown. Corals located in shaded zones, however, are purplish brown.

The species is registered from the reefs of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago to the reefs of the coast of the state of Espírito Santo. It is found at depths that vary between 1 m (Itaparica island) to 80 m (Vitória Bank). The preference of this species for relatively calm and clear waters has been observed.

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