ePorites branneri

6. Porites branneri

Porites branneri colonies are relatively small encrustations with diameters of up to 15 cm. They are rarely massive and are not branched. They have a brownish color when alive. The calices are very small (diameters of 1.0 to 1.5 mm) and are characterized by the presence of five minuscule 'stakes', forming a central ring that substitutes the columella.
	This species occurs along the whole tropical Brazilian coast. It is abundant in the submersed reefs of the coasts of Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco and on the Fernando de Noronha islands. It is rare on the coast of Bahia and was registered along the coasts of Espiríto Santo and Rio de Janeiro states, and on Trindade island.