Hippoporina indica Pillai 1978

Hippoporina indicaforms encrusting colonies. The zooids are short, rectangular, and variable in size (mean zooid length = 0.37 mm, mean zooid width = 0.27 mm, N=65; McCann et al. 2007). The frontal surfaces of the zooids have large marginal and frontal pores except for a granular unperforated central portion of frontal wall adjacent to the orifice. Up to three spines occur above the orifice; they are usually lost early in colony development, but the spine bases sometimes remain visible. The orifice is large relative to the zooid size. It is hoof-shaped, with a sub-circular anterior region and a shallowly convex proximal region. The two regions are separated by triangular, proximally slanting, hinging denticles. The granular calcification below the orifice is raised into a low peristome with a central peak. The orifice sometimes has two lateral processes on the rim. On one or both sides of the orifice, there are large umbos supporting avicularia (some zooids may have up to three avicularia, many zooids have none). These are rounded proximally, with narrow crossbars and short, pointed, triangular mandibles, and oriented laterally or disto-laterally toward the orifice. Similar triangular avicularia may also occur on lateral margins or frontal surfaces of the zooids. The ovicell is hyperstomial (partially embedded in the distal zooid, but with an opening above the mother cell), with granular calcification and irregular pores (in size, shape, and spacing) covering most of its frontal surface (Description from McCann et al. 2007).