Acropora whatzanama?
- Thread starter NateHanson
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karl wagner
salinate me!
It could be tenuis.
NateHanson
Non-member
Jango, I'm leaning towards Acropora noshitius.
jango
Non-member
NateHanson
Non-member
This tenuis picture looks pretty close actually. The branches on mine are fatter though.
TheUltimateNoob
TheUltimateNoob
it might be an acropora whatzanama
TheUltimateNoob
TheUltimateNoob
LOL! I just got it.... a little slow today 
nunofs
Non-member
Looks like A. samoensis to me... see http://whelk.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/html/001-100/Species pages/60.htm in that link that jango sent (there are also a couple of examples at reefermadness.us)
Nuno
Nuno
NateHanson
Non-member
The coralites are more distinct on mine than they look in that picture Nuno. Samoensis looks like it has polyps popping out of the skeleton all over the place. On mine each polyp is surrounded by a coralite protrusion. Ranging from a short bulbous Taco shape to a short bulbous tube shape.
NateHanson
Non-member
That looks the closest Itelus, but the terminal coralite is more trumpet shaped, and is more solitary. Sarmentosa appears to have a bunch of polyps near the terminus.
NateHanson
Non-member
A. tenuis in my opinion.
Definitely not sarmentosa nor samoensis... though I can see how the initial shot evoked those responses. The frag you've got has denser, thicker branches than the adult coral in the Verons shot... but exposure and flow probably account for that. Give it 3-4 months and post another shot then. I'll bet it stretches out more... though it really looks pretty darned close to me already (comparing the Verons photo with your second shot).
b
Definitely not sarmentosa nor samoensis... though I can see how the initial shot evoked those responses. The frag you've got has denser, thicker branches than the adult coral in the Verons shot... but exposure and flow probably account for that. Give it 3-4 months and post another shot then. I'll bet it stretches out more... though it really looks pretty darned close to me already (comparing the Verons photo with your second shot).
b
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NateHanson
Non-member
Yeah, after I had the second shot on my computer for comparison to the database shots, I was much more inclined to agree with Karl's first guess.
Thanks for your input Bec. Are there specific characteristics you look for when identifying corals? Or is it just a general visual impression? The database talks about radial coralite arrangement ("Radial corallites are arranged in a neat rosette"). Not sure I see any rosettes when I look at any of these pictures, can you tell me what they're talking about?
Others can feel free to continue debating if you have another guess too (although I have to admit I'm liking the tenuis guess).
Thanks for your input Bec. Are there specific characteristics you look for when identifying corals? Or is it just a general visual impression? The database talks about radial coralite arrangement ("Radial corallites are arranged in a neat rosette"). Not sure I see any rosettes when I look at any of these pictures, can you tell me what they're talking about?
Others can feel free to continue debating if you have another guess too (although I have to admit I'm liking the tenuis guess).
Hey Nate -
The descriptions are sometimes tough to follow. The 'rosette' reference has to do with what can bee seen via a tight, directly top-down veiw of the A. tenuis branch. None of the shots above really shows off the rosette formation of the coralites, though your first shot comes closest.
Personally, when trying to i.d. Acropora I first look at individual coralite formation and spacing along the branch. It's still tough to tell with a frag though. They can just look so different from a mature colony, depending upon where on the parent colony they were clipped from. I'm still never sure whether I'm looking at A. humilis or A. samoensis, as frags or small colonies for example. They are close, and frags seem nearly identical (to me). But large colonies are easy to distinguish from each other (again... for me).
I have spent hours in front of my tank and the tanks of other folks staring at Verons books... just trying to get certain basics of certain corals into my head so that oddities really pop out when I see them.
I have what I beleive to be A. sarmentosa and A. samoensis in my tank. Sometimes knowing what something 'isn't' is easier than saying what it 'is.' (Even though it can seem aggravating sometimes when someone does that!)
I realize that skeletal examination is the only true way of i.d.ing a coral... and even then it can be sketchy (see Borneman's thread on coral i.d. on RC)... but I don't care. I like the challenge, and I think it's really educational to delve into the books to give it a try.. for sps, lps, whatever.
Thanks for asking.
b
The descriptions are sometimes tough to follow. The 'rosette' reference has to do with what can bee seen via a tight, directly top-down veiw of the A. tenuis branch. None of the shots above really shows off the rosette formation of the coralites, though your first shot comes closest.
Personally, when trying to i.d. Acropora I first look at individual coralite formation and spacing along the branch. It's still tough to tell with a frag though. They can just look so different from a mature colony, depending upon where on the parent colony they were clipped from. I'm still never sure whether I'm looking at A. humilis or A. samoensis, as frags or small colonies for example. They are close, and frags seem nearly identical (to me). But large colonies are easy to distinguish from each other (again... for me).
I have spent hours in front of my tank and the tanks of other folks staring at Verons books... just trying to get certain basics of certain corals into my head so that oddities really pop out when I see them.
I have what I beleive to be A. sarmentosa and A. samoensis in my tank. Sometimes knowing what something 'isn't' is easier than saying what it 'is.' (Even though it can seem aggravating sometimes when someone does that!)
I realize that skeletal examination is the only true way of i.d.ing a coral... and even then it can be sketchy (see Borneman's thread on coral i.d. on RC)... but I don't care. I like the challenge, and I think it's really educational to delve into the books to give it a try.. for sps, lps, whatever.
Thanks for asking.
b
