Coral ID

1625 Views 19 Replies 8 Participants Last post by poolshark8961, Apr 15, 2014

jrr

Discussion Starter · Apr 12, 2014

Got this gem as part of a package. Seller didnt know what it was either as they had got it in a package from someone else. It didnt look like much when I got it, but it has come around nicely. I have been searching google images for some clues, but no luck. Please help me name this poor orphan of a coral that has been passed around without a name.

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zacharts

· #2 · Apr 12, 2014

"Skin" & formation lead me to believe it is a type of Porites or clubbed finger coral, but there does not seem to be full polyp extension in the photo provided. Do the polyps extend further especially during feeding, into a star shaped pattern?

jrr

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 12, 2014

So far, this is the extent of the polyp extension. When I got it two months ago, it was yellow and no polyp extension at all.

jrr

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 12, 2014

This is what it looked like 2 months ago

zacharts

· #5 · Apr 12, 2014

Nice, it has colored up a lot since it came under husbandry, and that is always a great sign. I would chalk it up as the aforementioned. You will have a better guess later on after some growth, though It seems to be somewhere around porites, monti or stylophora.

Jake

· #6 · Apr 12, 2014

Very interesting coral. It looks like a species on montipora however it is not the color combination of any that I have seen with that growth pattern. It's almost a hybrid of a montipora setosa(growth) and montipora undata. It almost branches like an acropora but has no coralites at the tips of each branch. Very beautiful piece

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Jake

· #7 · Apr 12, 2014

I do not believe it is a porites or stylophora due to the lack of polyps.

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bsagea

· #8 · Apr 12, 2014

It appears to be an acropora - soft skin - could be secale species.

Jake

· #9 · Apr 12, 2014

bsagea said:
It appears to be an acropora - soft skin - could be secale species.

I was thinking that also but there are no coralites at the end of any of the branches. It's a very odd coral which makes it way more awesome. Even on the smooth skinned acropora species they almost all have a corallite at the end of each branch and the polyps seem to sit into the coral much more Like montipora undata or verucosa (but I don't think it's a verucosa)

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bsagea

· #10 · Apr 12, 2014

Jake said:
I was thinking that also but there are no coralites at the end of any of the branches. It's a very odd coral which makes it way more awesome. Even on the smooth skinned acropora species they almost all have a corallite at the end of each branch and the polyps seem to sit into the coral much more Like montipora undata or verucosa (but I don't think it's a verucosa)

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Doesn't look like any type of montipora to me. Here's my secale which came from LiveAquaria sometime ago. They look to be extremely similar to me but who knows. Could also be a granulosa. It is pretty for sure!

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GOSKN5

· #11 · Apr 12, 2014

Its acropora sarmentosa I'm pretty sure...

bsagea

· #12 · Apr 12, 2014

Doesn't look anything like Sarmentosa IMO

http://www.waltsmith.com/PhotoGallery/HardCorals/Acropora/WSI-A_sarmentosa_2.jpg

jrr

Discussion Starter · #13 · Apr 14, 2014

bsagea said:
Doesn't look like any type of montipora to me. Here's my secale which came from LiveAquaria sometime ago. They look to be extremely similar to me but who knows. Could also be a granulosa. It is pretty for sure!

That looks pretty darn close to me. Thanks for the responses.

MrBubblesJr.

· #14 · Apr 14, 2014

It may be ora spongeodes or atlantis appleberry montipora.

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MrBubblesJr.

· #15 · Apr 14, 2014

It may be encrusted over a skeleton or LR. Just my 2 cents.

PuffyLuv

· #16 · Apr 14, 2014

Montipora Spongodes...the tips of a colony were fragged, I think, making it look like it branches more than encrusts. If you think about it, the colony hasn't grown much, just colored up...I think you will find it encrusts pretty fast now.

GOSKN5

· #17 · Apr 14, 2014

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Jake

· #18 · Apr 15, 2014

GOSKN5 said:
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It's definitely not this acro. The polyps aren't the same and the coralites are deeper. Appleberry palawensis is almost spot on but even if you factor in it growing on something else to give it the shape but it is not textured enough. It should have more ridges at this point if it was a palawensis in my opinion

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Jake

· #19 · Apr 15, 2014

PuffyLuv said:
Montipora Spongodes...the tips of a colony were fragged, I think, making it look like it branches more than encrusts. If you think about it, the colony hasn't grown much, just colored up...I think you will find it encrusts pretty fast now.

I think it's to smooth to be a spongodes. Spongodes are usually more textured than that

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poolshark8961

· #20 · Apr 15, 2014

Could be M. confusa also.. Or perhaps an irregular cut frag of M. danae? My money is on a montipora sp.

Jake said:
I think it's to smooth to be a spongodes. Spongodes are usually more textured than that

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