Characters: Colonies are hemispherical or helmet-shaped and may be over 4 metres across. They usually form ‘micro-atolls’ in intertidal habitats. The surface is usually smooth.
Colour: Usually cream or yellow but may be bright colours in shallow water.
Similar Species: Porites australiensis, which has thicker walls and five tall and three short pali. Underwater, the corallites of P. lutea are filled with skeletal elements, whereas the corallites of P. lobata appear to have fewer elements and thus look more open. Porites somaliensis has similar corallite characters.
Habitat: Occurs with P. lobata and P. australiensis on back reef margins, lagoons and fringing reefs.
Abundance: Common.
Taxonomic References: Wells (1954); Veron and Pichon (1982); Veron (1992); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Sheppard and Sheppard (1991); Nishihira and Veron (1995); Carpenter, Harrison, Hodgson et al. (1997); Pillay, Terashima, Venkatasami et al. (2002); Fenner (2005); Pichon, Benzoni, Chaineau et al. (2010); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
