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View Full Version : Interesting SPS? ID anyone?

IUfan
08/10/2016, 06:33 PM
Had this in my tank nearly 3 years and it's grown into a really interesting formation. Can anyone help identify it?


http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/f94a41e41a0a240513c9a7b7c725afa9.jpg


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rvareef
08/10/2016, 06:49 PM
tricolor
C.Eymann
08/10/2016, 06:56 PM
Judging by the pocketed radial corallites expressed, esp near the axials leads me to think this is A.valida, only thing throwing me off is the larger than usually observed axial corallite openings, Ill still stick with my guess of A. valida and the branch closest to the camera that tapers a bit even more so makes me feel more confident its A. valida.

this is the only thing that makes me suspicious of being a different species, but still pretty sure in my original guess, divaricata would be my second.

http://i.imgur.com/mjrZSNRh.png
IUfan
08/11/2016, 04:53 PM
Valida is a good guess, it does look like the same structure.

Is there a specific valida that it looks like?

Can anyone point me to a valida subspecies page to see if I can find the similar colors to this and a name?


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C.Eymann
08/11/2016, 05:21 PM
Valida is a good guess, it does look like the same structure.

Is there a specific valida that it looks like?

Can anyone point me to a valida subspecies page to see if I can find the similar colors to this and a name?


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There is no "sub species" to Acropora valida to my knowledge. Genus and species is about as far as we get with coral in most cases. I am fairly confident it's probably A. valida. The larger than usually observed axial corallite openings/ thinner axial walls are the only thing throwing me off a bit, but the pocketed radial corallites your coral expresses are signature to A. valida. Plus again the tapering axial corallite is another A. valida trait, frags/ smaller colonies are much harder to ID than larger colonies, because it makes it harder to see the trend in structures as you have a lot less to go off of.
Like rvareef mentioned before it will probably take on A.valida's signature tri-color look which will re-enforce the ID but color is the last determining factor.

Tell you the truth, even though rvareef didn't use a Latin/Sci. name, as we all know, A. valida is commonly referred to as "tricolor" in this hobby, so Ill give this ID to him/her.