Characters: Colonies are branching, sometimes with an encrusting base. Corallites are shallow giving branches a smooth surface.
Colour: Usually cream, yellow, blue or green.
Similar Species: See Porites attenuata and P. compressa. Porites cylindrica is readily confused with Palauastrea ramosa underwater.
Habitat: May be a dominant species in lagoons or on back reef margins.
Abundance: Common.
Taxonomic References: Veron and Pichon (1982); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Randall and Myers (1983); Veron (1986a); Nishihira and Veron (1995); Pillay, Terashima, Venkatasami et al. (2002); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
