Please help identify this single polyp hard coral.

[rpisces]

I got this single polyp hard coral on rocks where water visibility is poor. They grow at places where you can also find gorgonians along the rocky coastline. You can only see it when the tide is extremely low because you cant see it underwater.

Characteristic

1. Size: Less than an inch across
2. Shape: Oblong
3. Polyp Colour:
a) Dark blue with transparent tentacles and darker tips
b) Light blue/light green/light pink/light black variants can also be found but very rare. Some have f'lourescent green or orange mouths and green tips.
4. Body Colour: White
5. Teeth: Facing inwards
6. Locality: Individuals are far apart. About 1 or 2 per 1 tonne boulder!

Picture shown is dark green variant with orange mouth.

Thanks.

[seapug]

Can you post a bigger photo using photobucket?
It's very hard to see.

Are you sure it's a stony coral and not some sort of corallimorph or anemone like a Pseudocorynactis?

[rpisces]

Yes! It is a stony coral. I could say its body and flesh is like the Rhizo coral but tentacles are like the Pseudocorynactis.

The differences to these corals are that:
1. Rhizo has no teeth
2. The tentacles and tips are shorter and smaller than Pseudocorynactis

I have kept it once many years ago but never has its tentacles extended. This is the 1st time I have seen its tentacles so long!

This specimen already sold off but I will post close up shot tonight on others in a bowl of water and the tentacles will surely not be entended but will definately be clearer to see.

[SushiGirl]

Cup coral?

[rpisces]

OK. Here is the better quality photos.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee425/rpisces/RockCoral4.jpg

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee425/rpisces/RockCoral5.jpg

Please identify!

[rpisces]

Still no identification! Please check and identify.

Thanks.

[SushiGirl]

Did you even look up cup coral?

[rpisces]

Did you even look up cup coral?

I am sorry! I always thought cup coral is turbinaria, a cup shaped coral with lots of polyps.

I googled cup coral and tubastrea (sun coral) also shows up.

Ok. Now, I know the scientific name is Caryophyllia Smithii and the common name is Devonshire Cup Coral. It is more like tubastrea than turbinaria.

It grows individually. Tubastrea grows in a joined colony and turbinaria a coral with many polyps.

The other difference is that its tentacles has a small ball.

Thanks everybody for trying to identify this coral. Please comment if it is not Caryophyllia Smithii.

[rpisces]

Another 2 photos of the specie.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee425/rpisces/08032011008_edited-1.jpg


http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee425/rpisces/08032011007_edited-1.jpg

[SaltwaterAdict]

If I had to take a guess it would be frogspawn. Why do you have so many fragments broken up on the bottom of the tank?

[SaltwaterAdict]

Is this coral like spawning? If so, pretty neat!

[rpisces]

If I had to take a guess it would be frogspawn. Why do you have so many fragments broken up on the bottom of the tank?

They are individual corals I hacked from boulders along the coastline. I am still looking for other colour variation. The 1st time I collected this was from picking rocks under my foot to see what is it! The water is so murky that I could not see a thing under it. Goniopora was also collected this way! By using the foot to sense its soft tissue and then use the hand to pick it up.