Plate Fire Coral

From class Hydrozoa, Millepora platyphylla is not a true coral, distinguishing it from the stony corals and soft corals in class Anthozoa. Like other species of fire coral, it can have diverse growth forms, including branches, fans, plates, blades, or encrusting forms. However, they are generally characterized as plate-like or blade-like, which differentiates them from other species, such as Millepora dichotoma and Millepora exaesa. The morphologies of these corals vary based on the habitats they inhabit. While encrusting forms are better able to resist wave activity, exposed sheet tree forms coupled with the action of breaking waves may facilitate the coral's reproduction through fragmentation.

Millepora platyphylla has a wide geographic range, especially compared with those of other species like Millepora latifolia and Millepora tenera. It is commonly found in the Indo-Pacific, which encompasses the Red Sea and French Polynesia. Researchers have studied the species in Indonesia, Egypt, and Moorea, French Polynesia. For a period of time, it was presumed that the species no longer existed in the Eastern Pacific due to bleaching events. However, researchers have confirmed that its range now extends back to that location.

The species is found in the shallows of the reef crest, typically below 5 meters in depth, but they may also be found there at depths up to 10 meters. They can be found at the surf zone and spur and groove zone at depths up to 10 meters. They experience strong wave action around these depths.