Characters: Small colonies are cushion-shaped or low domes or are irregular. Large colonies, which frequently exceed 5 metres across, are columnar or massive. Corallites are of mixed sizes, usually less than 10 millimetres diameter with numerous septa reaching the corallite centre. Tentacles are usually extended during the day.
Colour: Usually green, grey, red or brown, commonly with tentacles and septa of contrasting colours. Tentacles often have conspicuous white tips.
Similar Species: Galaxea astreata. See also G. cryptoramosa.
Habitat: Reef environments protected from strong wave action.
Abundance: Common in a wide range of habitats and may be a dominant species on inshore fringing reefs.
Taxonomic Note: A species complex.
Taxonomic References: Veron and Pichon (1980); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Sheppard and Sheppard (1991); Nishihira and Veron (1995); Coles (1996); Pillay, Terashima, Venkatasami et al. (2002); Chan, Choi, McCorry et al. (2005); Pichon, Benzoni, Chaineau et al. (2010); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
