Isopora palifera is a branching scleractinian coral closely related to Acropora (family Acroporidae) found on exposed reef crests in the Indo-Pacific, forming thick rod-like branches adapted to withstand high wave energy on outer reef flats, and differing from Acropora in having multiple mouths per corallite structure. Its phylogenetic position at the base of Acroporidae makes it important for understanding the evolution and diversification of one of the most ecologically significant coral families on Indo-Pacific reefs. Genomic data have been generated for this species and are available in public databases, enabling comparative studies of cnidarian evolution and ecology.