Orbicella faveolata is native to the coral coast of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and is listed as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The corallites, the stony cups in which the polyps sit, are about 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter and cover the entire surface of the coral.

[3] Orbicella faveolata occurs in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, its range including Florida, united states, the Bahamas, Venezuela and possibly Bermuda.

Several different species of Symbiodinium associate with the coral, depending on the degree of light intensity reaching the part of the surface where they reside.

The zooxanthellae, bacteria and archaea present vary with the time of year and in the spring (but not the autumn) their composition is also affected by the health of the coral and whether it is suffering from yellow-band disease.