Coral X

[investigator1]

Okay, I got this coral for six dollars.

It is not the following:

- Green/White Star polyps because it does not grow on a flat encrusting mat.

- Pipe organ coral because the outer tube tissue is soft.

I have searched and searched. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Anonymous]

Green Star polyps??

 

[Anonymous]

THey look like green star polyps to me also.

 

[John_Brandt]

It looks like the encrusting soft coral, Briareum sp.

 

[Tangy2006]

Looks like star polyp. The mat may just be hard to see. Nice buy, but know what you are buying before adding it into your tank.

 

[hdtran]

How do you tell the difference between a green star polyp (presumably Pachyclavularia) and a Briareum?

 

[investigator1]

Nice buy, but know what you are buying before adding it into your tank.

Aren't you a cheeky monkey. You should try to not make a blind and rude statement to someone you know nothing about. It's not like it's a flowerpot or elegance coral.

 

[Anonymous]

my guess would also be a pachyclavularia-the connective tissue (mat) appears visible, and purple, to me, in that pic.

briareum usually has a light grey color to the "mat", ime

briareum is also a much more aggressive grower

 

[John_Brandt]

Given the state of soft coral taxonomy none of us should do anything but speculate. Briareum and Pachyclavularia are similar. Briareum has calyces (the little stalk) that are mostly less than 5mm tall (not including the polyp itself). Pachyclavularia calyces tend to be taller than that. (from Goslinger, Behrens & Williams). But after looking through several guides I have, it looks like there is overlap of these two genera in the Indo-Pacific.

Photo from California Academy of Sciences

 

[hdtran]

That Briareum sp. (I/P) looks just like the Pachyclavularia picture in Borneman's book... (Either that, or I need new glasses, or both...)

 

[John_Brandt]

Yes, it sure does look similar. But the calyce length is said to be key. Borneman also states that Briareum regularly sheds a skin while Pachyclavularia doesn't. He even says that some people think the two genera should be one.

 

[K9coral]

LOL, I'm starting to live in these forums.

 

[hdtran]

Not meaning to hijack your thread, Investigator1...

I bought a 'green star polyp' from my LFS. I asked for Pachyclavularia. He said 'huh?', and sold me something labeled 'Briareum sp.' It looks just like the picture of Pachyclavularia in Borneman's book, and the picture of Briareum that John Brandt kindly posted.

The calyce looks to be exactly 5 mm.

Borneman says (paraphrasing) 'some folks think they should be in the same genus,' but doesn't give his own opinion (actually, I think his opinion is that they're different, because he clearly states that Discosoma and Actino-something-mushroom should be the same).

I'm too lazy to build a DNA sequencer in my garage, and ask for some frags to do a comparative DNA test.

So, do I have a Briareum or do I have a Pachyclavularia? Do I need to care, because care instructions are very similar? Or am I obsessing about something picayune?

Thanks!

Hy

 

[Anonymous]

It doesn't really matter, IMO. The care for both is probably identical. Another example is Xenia and Anthelia. Both require about the same exact conditions.

 

[John_Brandt]

It all just got easier. According to Adam Cesnales (who gave a lecture this weekend at the WAMAS Symposium on Octocoral identification) there is no more Pachyclavularia genus. All the "star polyps" are now Briareum spp.

http://www.wamas.org/history/symp/symp1.htm

 

[Anonymous]

well it looks like its been narrowed down hmmm star polyps....I didnt understand "it does not grow on a flat encrusting mat. " mine encrusts around rock which isnt flat...

 

[DaisyPolyp]

wow, I wanna know who is the guy that gets to say, "uhhh, let's get rid of that genus over there."