[5] Due to their similar distribution and taxonomic relationship, M. oculata is often experimentally compared to related deep sea coral, Lophelia pertusa.

[8] As its skeleton is fragile and unable to sustain a large framework, it is usually found among stronger coral, such as Lophelia pertusa and Goniocorella dumosa, that offer protection.

[9] Madrepora oculata produces large amounts of extracellular mucus, which acts in a protective capacity to shield the coral skeleton from being bored into by endolithic organisms.

[12] The species is known to perform continuous reproduction, releasing fewer but larger oocytes when compared to seasonal reproducers like Desmophyllum pertusum.

Similarly hypertrophied corallites were described in colonies of Madrepora oculata near northwestern Australia and Japan, as well as in the Formosa Strait and other areas, but have never been confirmed.