There are approximately 30 nominal species, but only eight are true species: E. aspera,
E. costata, E. echinata, E. echinoporoides, E. orpheensis, E. patula, E. pectinata, and E. taylo-rae. Five of these are endemic to Australia. Besides Chalice Coral, their trade names include Plate Coral and Scroll Coral. Echinophyllia corals are often confused with the genus
Echinopora during collection and among hobbyists. Part of the family Faviidae, Echinopora
spp. exhibit similar growth patterns that can resemble Echinophyllia corals. The base can
encrust and fold, but additional growth often plates out in a fashion similar to that of
Montipora capricornis, elevated from the surface.
Echinophyllia’s growth pattern tends to form encrusting plates with rounded ridges,
free of any substrates and corallites, occasionally rising in different directions. Colonies
are plate-shaped with a central corallite in smaller colonies and widely spaced radial
corallites. The colors and patterns exhibited varies greatly from specimen to specimen,
sometimes resulting in hybridization of colors within the same species, which has been
observed occurring naturally and in captivity under controlled settings. Their temperaments are generally considered to be aggressive, due to the strong, stinging sweeper tentacles that are released during feeding. In the wild, they are often found without any
immobile life forms around the colonies. Even within the same species, they occur sporadically, well spread out from one another.
In an aquarium, their growth formations are heavily dictated by the intensity and
pattern of available flow. Specimens exposed to less flow develop thinner skeletons that
encrust out more evenly, whereas in strong flow they develop thicker skeletons with a
more condensed overall growth. Echinophyllia corals imported from Indonesia, where
they live in heavy currents, often exhibit the latter attributes, whereas Australian Echino-
