a.prostrata or a.millepora

[aqua11878]

can anybody tell me if there is away to visually tell apart a.prostrata and a.millepora. or is it guess work and you have to do a very close skeletal observation. i have a couple of colonies
that i see being sold for one thing and someone else is selling it for another? thanks

[pusanpa]

I have exact same question in this forum:-).

[aqua11878]

i know i just saw..i thought somebody was playing with me.

[aqua11878]

its just a matter of time some one will chime in

[aqua11878]

i saw that link that was on your thread and still confused....

[ycnibrc]

Millepora coralite if you look closely it's bigger on the bottom than at the end of branch. Postrata coralite are the same from bottom to the end of branch. Also the 2 closer corals are the convexa and pulchra. This is according to the corals of the world book from Veron. I look closely and I can see that the coralite of the millerpora are bigger closer to the body than out to the edge of branch and the postrata are uniform from end to end.

[pusanpa]

Thanks Anthony.

[pusanpa]

I think I got it Andy. Millepora is more like table like overall shape when you look at it from a distance whereas prostada is branching.

[aqua11878]

bullseye........thanks

[hockeyismylife]

i have pink mille and green prostrata


ill takje a pic in a few min.

[hockeyismylife]

heres a macro of my prostrata i have my mille pic on my laptop and will try to post it later


[IMG][/IMG]

[hockeyismylife]

just found it on this comp.


[IMG][/IMG]

[acrohead500ppm]

Originally posted by pusanpa
I think I got it Andy. Millepora is more like table like overall shape when you look at it from a distance whereas prostada is branching.

no!
most growth patterns vary depending on light/flow dynamics
close corallite examination is the only way to tell
A. prostrata however does tend to resemble natural growth patterns of A.mircopathalma(med/long branches with a club like cluster of axle corallites at the tips. but it all varies with enviroment,
i think Acropora clathrata is the hardest to distinguish from Acropora millepora out of all other similar looking acroporid species.

[acrohead500ppm]

Originally posted by hockeyismylife
heres a macro of my prostrata i have my mille pic on my laptop and will try to post it later


[IMG][/IMG]

not trying to be an *** but that is Acropora latistella
100% sure

[hockeyismylife]

i dont think it is latistella doesn't look anyhting like it.

[acrohead500ppm]

yeah it is i can tell by the spoon shaped corallites,

[aqua11878]

somebody HELP..........! SO what im gathering is that these two speices are VERY similar and close skeletal examination is almost a must in most cases.

[SDguy]

I was told on this forum that something like the ORA blue mille is actually a prostrata, while this pink guy is a mille:



Blue ORA prostrata:


Is this true??

[aqua11878]

but we can safely say that a.millepora is for the most part a tabling speices?

[aqua11878]

that just made matters worse!

[SDguy]

They both take tabling forms eventually according to the aims site. Not sure how good a charcateristic that would be anyways unless you are trying to ID a large colony.

[acrohead500ppm]

the only way to accurately ID sps you must look at a few things
tentical count, corallite shape/despersment, and some what growth pattern.

[hockeyismylife]

im pretty sure there is more than one type of acro that has spoon shapped polyps.

[pusanpa]

Now I am even more confused.

[pusanpa]

Is this Mille or Prostrata?
I bought it as mille but I want to make sure.