| There are two main groups of fossil stromatoporoids that lived in different eras, the Paleozoic and the Mesozoic. |
| Other faunal elements include colonial and solitary corals, encrusting bryozoans, stromatoporoids, and rare brachiopods. |
| Nevertheless the rugose corals remained subsidiary components of reefs relative to tabulate corals and stromatoporoids. |
| The calcareous algae, stromatoporoids, tabulate corals, and rugose corals became conspicuous reef-builders throughout the tropical seas. |
| Stromatoporoids with maculate microstructure constituted the family Stromatoporidae, whereas those with more solid-looking microstructure constituted four other families. |
| However, in many reefal carbonates stromatoporoids are the only recognizable fossils available to the biostratigrapher. |
