Semi hichhiker ID

[Omni2226]

I picked up a real nice zoanthid rock with over 50 poylps on it for 30 dolllors today and this was kinda hidden on one end. I found a few pictures and have a tenetive ID as a LPS Scolymia species button coral, also called a doughnut or disk coral. Hard to the touch and doesnt retract.

The color is amazing, the pic doesnt do it justice. What do you guys think?

This one with the flash.

 

[Len]

Very nice hitchiker! Scolymia or Cyanaria is a possibility, or perhaps a juvenile Fungia. I assume it has a hard skeletal base?

 

[Omni2226]

I think it does have a skeleton base but being small...hard to tell.

It doesnt retract like a mushroom and after the daylights went off last night I observed what looked like tentacles or feeding arms, wahtever they are called appear. But being so small and all I have is a 4 x hand magnifying glass its hard to be sure. Tiny vanilla colored buds anyway.

In the bottom picture you can see two other "buds" or offshoots along what I call runners. Not sure what they are called in the coral hobby.

Hopefuly it will grow out and bigger where more detail can be observed.

Ya a nice hitchhiker anyway. A step above stometella/slugs anyway huh?

 

[Omni2226]

Mmm the more I research the more uncertain I am. It may not even be a coral.
Fungia are supposed to be mobile. This isnt. Disk corals expand and contract. This doesnt. There is no skeleton that I can see. At least no skeletal body that poylps retract into. Plate type corals are usally a single poylp. This appears to be colonial vis a vis the runners to daughters.

Looking through soft non zoa corals, nothing I have found resembles it.

I have been looking through alga ID's and websites but nothing I have seen looks like what I have.
Im stumped.

 

[Anonymous]

Got a Fungia as hitchhiker more than six years ago, smaller than a dime. Not it is one of a few surviving coral I have in my tank, slightly smaller than a computer mouse. You got a nicer one there. Good luck with it.

 

[Omni2226]

So you feel it is a fungia sp.? You may be right. The abilty to be "mobile" I have seen mentioned in research may refer to spreading/colonizing new space/areas.

Off to do more research! Thanks for the replys.