LPS ID please

[zeppelin]

Well, first off let me post the original pic I posted a few weeks ago. At that time this hitchiker was ID'd as a baby plate coral.

http://www.cofba.org/users/zeppelin/LarrysFormula/saltwater%20tank/misc%20pics/lps%20for%20ID/unknown-lps.gif

Well, after a few weeks I'm still not convinced thats what it is. Here are a couple pics I took tonight.

First, the underside with the flesh pulled in:

http://www.cofba.org/users/zeppelin/LarrysFormula/saltwater%20tank/misc%20pics/lps%20for%20ID/flesh-pulled-in.gif

Now, the underside with the flesh extended:

http://www.cofba.org/users/zeppelin/LarrysFormula/saltwater%20tank/misc%20pics/lps%20for%20ID/flesh-extended.gif

Top view with flesh extended. Note the lighter brown inner ring. That is where the skeleton ends. The rest is flesh extension:

http://www.cofba.org/users/zeppelin/LarrysFormula/saltwater%20tank/misc%20pics/lps%20for%20ID/flesh-extended-top-view.gif

Just looks to me like there is too much flesh extension, and different skeleton shape for a plate, but what are everyone's thoughts??

Larry :cool:

[thealy]

IMO, it looks like some kind of ricordia mushroom.

[zeppelin]

No. Thats a hard skeleton you see underneath. Definitely an LPS of some kind.

Larry :cool:

[jcigars]

Larry....I have one of those also. They said it was a plate and it would eventually detach and go in the sand (to bad I have a BB). :)

[jjmg]

I have one also and it's not a plate. It's attached to the rock and closes up on food. No idea what it is though.

[zeppelin]

Jimmy

Thats what I was told too. Its skeleton just reminds me more of a cynarina look, and there is definite flesh that when you touch it, it retracts. Unless juvenile plates are just THAT fleshy??

Larry :cool:

[Nagel]

The extra fleshyness reminds me of cynarina, but no cynarina I've seen has tentacles all over it, usually just around the mouth. That really is what makes me think this is a baby plate...

[bogg]

looks like a plate coral to me imo

[TippyToeX]

Fungia! :D

[Nagel]

Oh sure Amy, just go and get all latin on us now....

hehehe

[thedude]

Yeah, I'm seeing a fungia there as well. If I remember correctly they have the ability to move around which could explain the ability of yours to "stand up", like it's doing in some of those pix.

Cool hitchiker

[TippyToeX]

Originally posted by Nagel
Oh sure Amy, just go and get all latin on us now....

hehehe

:D I gotta do what I gotta do!

[RandyO]

Zepplin,
What's the skeletal structure of the mouth look like, or feel like? Does it seem to have a deep mouth? Are there extra pointy teeth surrounding the mouth, like a Cynarina or Scolymia? My first impression was a Fungia. I've seen baby Fungia attached to rock, but that does not look like others I've seen. They are usually attached with a very thin piece of skeleton, easily breakable. Your looks very thick.
My best guess would be Indophyllia. I haven't seen many pictures of this coral, but it fits the decription very well.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/invert.htm

[Nagel]

Nice find Randy.... I gotta agree with you on that as well. The whole purpose of a fungia's attachment to rock is to be brittle so they will fall to the sand as they mature. This one's base seems to match the indophyllia in your link...

hmm...

[thedude]

The tentacles just don't look right in their orientation. The corals in that article have tentacles oriented in a ring around the mouth. And there is a distinguishing circle just beyond the mouth area that marks the tentacle ring.

This picture shows the ring just beyond the mouth (but with tentacles hidden) pretty well: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/invert11.htm

This picture shows the tentacles in the ring shape: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/invert10.htm

Both pictures are of the indo type

Notice in both there are no randomly placed tentacles. In the picture we have to try and ID here, the tentacles are kind of random and are placed all over the coral. There isn't any ring of tentacles, just a mouth. More like a fungia

[zeppelin]

Here's a better pic of the skeleton this morning before the flesh has extended any:

http://www.cofba.org/users/zeppelin/LarrysFormula/saltwater%20tank/misc%20pics/lps%20for%20ID/skeleton.gif

Larry

:cool:

[jango]

Originally posted by TippyToex
Fungia! :D
I think that's the best guess so far,Did you try the coral forum?

[coralite]

There is no question that the coral is a fungia. they start out life attached like that and they will eventually come off. They can expand many times their skeletal size. So for those of you saying it isnt a plate, like a long tentacle heliofungia, it isnt, its a short tentacle fungia disc coral.

[mane3215]

I say fungia =)...albeit wierd ehe.

[tacocat]

Now that's my kind of hitchhiker. Where did you get your liverock?

[zeppelin]

That one came in on a rock with a plating purple montipora from a Tonga order, I believe.

Larry :cool:

[MarLooney]

some sorta Fungiidae no doubt... OK which one? there are 17 species of Fungia alone... not to mention the 19 species of Halomitra, Heliofungia, Herpolitha, Lithophyllon, Podabacia, Polyphyllia, Sandalolitha, & Zoopilus. it's most likely a Fungia though. browse here: http://whelk.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/coralid_search.php and let us know which best matches the coral you have.

[zeppelin]

WOW, nice search site. :)