Habitat

Unlike most other so-called reef corals, Manicina areolata doesn’t usually live on coral reefs.

Instead it prefers shallow, productive near-shore habitats characterised by abundant sediments such as seagrass meadows, or along the fringes of mangrove forests.

In these habitats, Manicina areolata is an important part of the 'soft-bottom' coral community that also contains species such as Siderastrea radians (the golf-ball coral) and Porites furcata (finger coral).

These corals have special structural and behavioural characteristics that allow them to thrive in habitats where other species would be smothered in sediments.

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