Wrinkle Coral

About

Wrinkle coral (Coscinaraea mcneilli) is a plating coral native to the Indo-West Pacific, with a range that sits notably further into subtropical waters than most reef-building species. It turns up on rocky foreshores from the eastern Indian Ocean across to the western Pacific, spanning latitudes that few corals tolerate. The colony grows as a flat plate, and the surface has a distinctive ridged, wrinkled appearance created by corallites arranged in shallow grooves that run parallel to the colony's edge. The septo-costae alternate neatly and meet that margin at right angles, giving the surface a tidy, almost geometric texture when you look closely. Coloration tends toward earthy tones, dark grey, brown, or a muted green, so this isn't a coral you keep for bold color, but the structural detail of the surface is genuinely interesting up close. In the aquarium it needs moderate flow and high lighting to stay healthy, which puts it in intermediate territory care-wise. It's reef safe and poses no threat to neighbors given adequate spacing. Keepers with some coral experience should find it manageable, but the subtropical origins are worth keeping in mind when dialing in long-term conditions.