The Large Polyp Stony (LPS) Corals are a large and diverse group. They can have complex elegant shapes, and fascinating colors. Convenient terminology in the aquarium industry is to describe stony corals as either SPS corals (small polyp stony corals) or LPS corals (large polyp stony corals). What they look like becomes immediately obvious when you compare the size of their polyps. LPS have much larger polyps than the SPS. Though this generally works pretty well in recognizing a particular type of coral, it isn't an exact description. There are occasional coral species whose polyps don't fit the norm of their group, being too large or too small.
Types of Coral
Some LPS favorites include the Elegance Coral, Hammer, Galaxy, and Torch Corals, Frogspawn, Fox or Jasmine Corals, Disk and Plate Corals, and Bubble and Pearl Corals.
The following are those corals usually referred to as Large Polyp Stony (LPS) Corals:
Alveopora
Blastomussa
Catalaphyllia (Elegance Coral)
Caulastrea (Candycane Coral)
Cynarina
Euphyllia (Hammer Coral, Galaxy Coral, and Frogspawn)
Favia
Favites
Fungia (Disk Coral)
Galaxea
Goniopora
Goniastrea
Heliofungia (Plate Coral)
Herpolita
Lobophyllia
Montipora
Mycedium
Nemanzophyllia (Fox or Jasmine Coral)
Physogyra (Bubble Coral)
Platygyra
Plererogyra (Pearl Coral)
Polyphillia (Slipper coral)
Scolymia
Trachyphyllia
Tubastrea
Turbinaria
Tubipora
Wellsophyllia