Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
Pavona clavus
"A reef-building stony coral species; a massive Pavona clavus colony near Kadmat Island, Lakshadweep — known as the 'Potato Patch' (~4,250 sq m) — is among the world's largest known living coral colonies"
Pavona clavus is a species of reef-building stony coral (Order Scleractinia) found in tropical Indo-Pacific waters. It forms massive, dome-shaped colonies and is a significant reef-builder in shallow coastal ecosystems. In 2026, a giant Pavona clavus colony was documented near Kadmat Island in the Lakshadweep archipelago — nicknamed the 'Potato Patch' due to its distinctive lumpy appearance. The colony spans approximately 4,250 sq m and is among the world's largest known living coral colonies of any species. (The world's confirmed largest single coral colony is a separate Pavona clavus specimen in the Solomon Islands, measuring 34m wide and 32m long, documented in 2024.) Coral colonies like this are critical reef-builders that provide structural habitat for thousands of marine species. Pavona clavus, like other reef-building corals, hosts symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae, which provide up to 90% of the coral's energy via photosynthesis, and are highly vulnerable to coral bleaching triggered by elevated sea-surface temperatures.
The Lakshadweep Pavona clavus colony is relevant for GS3 (environment, marine biodiversity, coral reefs) and GS1 (physical geography, Indian islands). Key UPSC themes: coral reef ecology, Lakshadweep's biodiversity, coral bleaching and climate change, and India's marine protected areas. Lakshadweep's coral reefs are among India's most diverse and are threatened by warming oceans — the 2016 and 2020 mass bleaching events caused significant damage.
- 1 Pavona clavus — stony coral (Order Scleractinia); reef-builder in Indo-Pacific waters
- 2 Nicknamed "Potato Patch" — colony at Kadmat Island, Lakshadweep, approx. 4,250 sq m
- 3 [object Object]
- 4 Coral colonies host zooxanthellae — symbiotic algae providing up to 90% of coral energy
- 5 Coral bleaching occurs when elevated sea-surface temperatures (>1°C above average for extended periods) expel zooxanthellae
- 6 Lakshadweep's reefs experienced major bleaching in 2016 and 2020
- 7 Giant ancient colonies are particularly valuable — they are living records of ocean temperature and chemistry going back centuries
Scientists studying the Kadmat Island Pavona clavus colony can extract coral cores to read annual growth bands — like tree rings — providing a centuries-long record of sea surface temperatures, monsoon patterns, and ocean chemistry in the Arabian Sea, making it an irreplaceable natural climate archive.
