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.
