Coral Species ID

Colony shape (branching, mound, plates, column, crust, etc)

Colony surface (bumpy, smooth, ridges)

Polyp/Corallite Size (small, big)

Polyp/Corallite shape (round/elliptical, irregular, y- shaped, „ innies vs outies‟ ridge/valley)

Polyp color (green, brown, tan, yellow, olive, red) Different Corallite Shapes and Sizes Examples of Massive Stony Corals

Montastraea Montastraea Suleimán © W.Harrigan ©

faveolata cavernosa S. ©

Diploria strigosa Porites

astreoides © M. M. White © Small, round polyps Montastraea faveolata faveolata Montastraea

Surfaces smooth, ridged, or with bumps aligned in vertical rows

Colonies are flattened, massive- plates with smooth surfaces under conditions of low light. Montastrea annularis MANN

How similar to M. faveolata Small polyps Smooth surface

How different Colonies are subdivided into numerous mounds or columns with live polyps at their summits.

Plates at colony bases under low light conditions. (to 3-4 m/9-12 ft) Which is which?

M. annularis M. faveolata MANN MFAV Montastrea franksi MFRA

How similar to M. faveolata

Small polyps and bumps Close-up

How different Some polyps in bumps are larger, irregularly shaped, and may lack zooxanthellae.

More aggressive spatial competitor. © P. Humann Montastrea franksi MFRA

How similar to M. faveolata Form mounds, short columns, crusts, and/or plates.

How different Bumps are scattered over colony surface. (to 3-4 m/9-12 ft) Montastrea franksi MFRA

Flattened, massive plate morphology in low light conditions. Solenastrea bournoni SBOU

How similar to M. annularis Small round polyps Mounds

How different Lighter colors in life, Walls of some polyps are more distinct (“outies”) Bumpy colony surface

(to ~1/2 m/<20 in) Solenastrea hyades SHYA

How similar to S. bournoni Light colours Polyps with distinct walls

How different Irregular, lobes above an encrusting base (to ~2/3 m/2 ft)

Humann (1993). Montastrea cavernosa large, round polyps Close MCAV - up

Mounds, single columns, thick crusts or thick plates. (< 3 m/9 ft)

Pink fluoresence sometimes seen underwater is due to a symbiotic cyanobacterium in the polyps.

Colonies can form flattened, massive- plates in low light conditions. Dichocoenia stokesi DSTO How different How similar to M. cavernosa At least some elliptical Distinct polyps and Y-shaped polyps Mounds, crusts or plates (usually <.5 m/18 in) Favia fragum FFRA

How similar to D. stokesi Distinct, round-elongated polyps, some are Y-shaped.

How different Polyps look more “spread out.”

Smaller colonies (usually <10cm/4 in)

How similar to How different M. cavernosa and D. stokesi Soft-bodied crusts Distinct polyps, some round Very aggressive spatial and others elliptical competitor Cream or light tan colour

Close-up

Palythoa

M. cavernosa

Can be an excellent, early bleaching indicator Siderastrea siderea SSID

Sunken polyps (“innies”) with thin septa Siderastrea siderea SSID

Mounds

(to ~ 2 m/6 ft)

bleached Siderastrea siderea SSID

Fluorescent colours in some bleached colonies

dead

bleached Ginsburg © R. R. © Siderastrea radians SRAD Irregular, sunken “pinched” polyps with fatter septa Small (to ~1/3 m/12 in) Which is which?

S. siderea S. radians Stephanocoenia intersepta SINT

Flat polyps which are darker (have more zoox. pigments) than intervening tissues

“Blush” when contracting

Mounds or crusts (to <1 m/<3 ft) Porites astreoides PAST

Yellow, yellow-green or olive (shallow), gray or brown (deep or shade)

Small mounds, thick crusts or plates

(usually < 1 m/3 ft) © E. Weil E. © Porites astreoides PAST

Polyps are narrow– but tall and look “fuzzy” when expanded.

Colony surfaces are usually bumpy. Close-up

How are they different from Close-up other brain corals Has narrow “lines” along the top, and midway down the sides, of the ridges.

Often bicoloured Colpophyllia natans CNAT

Forms largest of brain coral mounds in shallow water (to ~3 m/10 ft)

R. R. Steneck © © Colpophyllia natans CNAT

Forms massive-plates in low light conditions

How are they different from other brain corals Distinct groove along middle of ridge–can be deeper and wider than the valleys. Close-up Diploria labryinthiformis DLAB

Mounds in shallow water (to >1 m/4 ft) Diploria strigosa DSTR

How are they different from other brain corals

No distinct groove along middle of ridge.

Mounds or crusts in shallow water. (to ~ 2 m/6 ft) Diploria strigosa DSTR

Massive-plates in low light conditions

Narrow ridges Irregular, lumpy crusts in shallow water

(to >1 m/4 ft)

Mounds and massive-plates

Very aggressive killing P. astreoides for a stony coral

(to ~1 m/3 ft)

killing P. astreoides Mycetophyllia spp.

All species Meandroid

Raised polyp centers look like Stars

Small mounds, plates or crusts Mycetophyllia aliciae Mycetophyllia lamarckiana MLAM and Mycetophyllia danaana MDAN Fleshy polyps Mounds, cones, thick plates MDAN (to ~ 1/3 m/12 in) MLAM Mycetophyllia aliciae MALI

Thick crusts or plates

Ridges much reduced in low light conditions

(to ~ 1/2 m/20 in.)

Narrow ridges and valleys

Thin crusts or plates

(to ~2/3 m/2 ft)

Very fleshy, wide meandroid polyps

Narrow line along top of ridges

Small mounds

(to ~20 cm/8 in)

How different from Mycetophyllia danaana

Fleshier polyps

No “stars‟ around

mouths

R. R. Steneck © © Which is which?

M. lamarckiana MLAM

Isophyllia sinuosa ISIN Isophyllastrea rigida IRIG How similar to Isophyllia sinuosa Very fleshy polyps

Thin line along ridge tops

Small mounds (to <20 cm/8 in)

How different Very short, constricted valleys usually only have 1-2 polyps Scolymia lacera SLAC

How different from Scolymia cubensis

Larger, more fleshy polyps

Lighter polyp colours

More aggressive to other stony corals (to ~15 cm/6 in) Agaricia agaricites AAGA

Tiny, reticulate polyps

Form plates, crusts, lumps, and plate keeled colonies Smallest of the agariciids (to ~ 1 m/3 ft)

lump

keels Agaricia lamarcki ALAM

How different from A. agaricites Thick, dense plates Distinct polyp mouths

(to ~ 2 m/6 ft) Leptoseris cucullata LCUC

How different from A. agaricites Thin plates, not reticulate Distinct septa; polyp mouths point towards colony margin

(to ~ 2 m/6 ft) Can be confused with A. undata (has smaller, straighter ridges; Humann p. 142) Examples of Branching Stony Corals

Porites porites

Acropora cervicornis Acropora palmata

Fat, stubby branches with blunt tips

(Clumps to >1 m/3ft wide)

Thin, long branches with round tips

(Clumps to >1 m/3ft wide) Porites divaricata PDIV

Thin, widely-spaced branches, many Y-shaped at tip

(Clumps to ~1/3 m/1ft wide)

Long, thin round branches

(contiguous colonies to ~3m/10 ft)

(Continguous colonies to ~4m/12 ft)

Intermediate in appearance & is a hybrid between A. palmata and A. cervicornis Madracis mirablis MMIR Thin, near-parallel branches with blunt tips Often expanded by day.

Close-up

Dense clumps (Can be many meters/10s of ft wide in sheltered habitats) Madracis decactis MDEC

Short, stubby knobs or lumpy crusts

10 septa/polyp

(to ~15 cm/6 in) Madracis formosa MFOR

How different from M. decactis

Upright branches With blunt tops

8-10 septa/polyp

(to < 2m/6 ft) Eusmilia fastigiata EFAS

Round to ovoid, stalked poylps (to ~2/3 m/<3 ft) Mussa angulosa MANG

How similar to E. fastigiata Stalked polyps, only alive at tips

How different Polyps are fleshy, larger, round, and opaque in colour

Septa have large teeth

(to <1 m/3 ft) Dendrogyra cylindrus DCYL

Polyps usually expanded by day

Dense columns,

(to >3m/10 ft) Millepora spp.

How different from scleractinian stony corals

Smooth colony surface has tiny pores with minute, translucent polyps.

Millepora alcicornis Millepora complanata MCOM

Box-like keels

(to ~2/3 m/<3 ft)

How different from M. complanata

Encrusts substratum and other organisms Small, rounded branches (to ~1/2 m/<20 in)