[1] Colonies of this coral form massive hemispherical domes, stacks or plates that can be a metre (yard) or more across, but in the Red Sea, it seldom exceeds 20 centimetres (8 in).

The colour of this coral is usually some shade of brown, grey or green, sometimes with contrasting oral discs.

[1] Oulophyllia crispa is a zooxanthellate coral that has unicellular dinoflagellates embedded in its soft, transparent tissues.

[2] As this coral grows, the polyps do not divide completely, resulting in several mouths being present in each large corallite.

), polychaete worms and bivalve molluscs bore holes into colonies of this coral, causing bioerosion.