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Related FAQs: Mussids, Mussids
2, Mussid Identification,
Mussid Behavior,
Mussid Compatibility,
Mussid Selection,
Mussid Disease,
Mussid Systems,
Mussid Feeding,
Mussid Reproduction,
Stony/True Coral,
Coral System Set-Up, Coral
System Lighting, Stony Coral
Identification, Stony Coral Selection, Coral
Placement, Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,
Disease/Health, Propagation,
Growing Reef Corals, Stony
Coral Behavior,
Related Articles: Large
Polyp Stony Corals, Stony
or True Corals, Order Scleractinia, Dyed
Corals,
/The Best Livestock For Your Reef Aquarium:
Brain, Meat, Pineapple
Corals, Family Mussidae, pt. 3
To: Part 1, Part
2
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By Bob Fenner |
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Genus Mycetophyllia Milne Edwards and Haime 1848. Flat colonies with
outward radiating valleys. Poorly developed columellae. Septa-costae are outward
facing. Found in the Caribbean only.
| Mycetophyllia aliciae, Knobby Cactus, Thin Fungus
Coral. Usually found as thin convex plates, with distinctive raised
star-shaped polyps. Bordered by ridges that run inward, though less
pronounced, common than others of the genus in the region. Bahamas
pix. |
 
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| Mycetophyllia danaana, Low Ridge Cactus Coral.
Colonies as flat plates, mounds, domes. Ridges about edge turn to the
inside, often crossing center, intertwine (definitive differences from M.
lamarckiana in the same area). Occurs in green, brown, gray. Six to
fifteen inches across. Bahamas pix. |
 
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| Mycetophyllia ferox Wells 1973. Colonies
mainly as rounded plates, covered with sinuous valleys/mazes. Bahamas
images. |
 
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| Mycetophyllia lamarckiana, Ridged Cactus, Large
Cactus, Fungus Coral. Colonies as flat, wavy-edged plates. Ridges fleshy,
don't extend to centers. Wide, shallow valleys, usually fleshy. Color
variable: browns, greens, grays. 6-12 inches in diameter. Bahamas pix. |
 
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Genus Scolymia Haime 1852. Singular, circular polyps. Indistinct walls
beneath their septa-costae. These are difficult species to discern one from
the other. The three occurring in the tropical West Atlantic may be told apart
by the shape of their septal "teeth".
| Scolymia cubensis (Milne Edwards and Haime 1849).
Septa in 2,3 orders as spikes, pick-shapes. Found in the Caribbean and off of Brazil. Bahamas
and Bonaire pix. |
 
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| Scolymia vitiensis Bruggenmann 1877. Septa slope up
from the columellae, costae slope down to the perimeter. Look like
Fungiids with a depressed center otherwise. One in Fiji, another in an
aquarium. Below, two in Nuka Hiva, Marquesas, Polynesia. |
 
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| Scolymia lacera, Atlantic Mushroom Coral. Tropical
West Atlantic. To six inches in diameter, most a couple of inches. Have
prominent triangular septal teeth ridges. Cozumel image by Di.F. |
 
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| Scolymia wellsi, Solitary Disk Coral. Radiating,
raised lines on polyp. Occur in greens, grays, browns. Has rough,
irregular cylindrical, thin septal teeth. Bahamas pic. |
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Genus Symphyllia Milne Edwards and Haime 1848. Similar to Lobophyllias
but with a groove that runs along the top of corallite walls that fuses
contiguous corallites, whereas Lobos are free from each other.
| Symphyllia agaricia Milne Edwards & Haime 1849.
Thick fleshy appearance. Aquarium image. |
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| Symphyllia erythraea (Klunzinger 1879). Massive
hemispherical colonies. Septa in two orders. Well formed columellae.
Waikiki Aquarium photo. |
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| Symphyllia radians Milne Edwards and Haime 1849. Flat
to hemispherical in profile. 20-25 millimeter wide valleys. Relatively
thick walls. Less twisting valleys than S. recta below. Fiji colony
and close-up. |
 
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| Symphyllia recta (Dana 1846). Hemispherical to flat
colonies. Small valleys (12-15mm wide), sinuous. A common coral in its
range. Green to brown. A Fiji colony and a Philippine close-up. |
 
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Bibliography/Further Reading:
Coral Search
Borneman, Eric H. 2001. Aquarium Corals; Selection, Husbandry and Natural
History. Microcosm-TFH NJ, USA. 464 pp.
Fossa, Svein A. & Alf Jacob Nilsen. 1998 (1st ed.). The Modern Coral Reef
Aquarium, v.2 (Cnidarians). Bergit Schmettkamp Verlag, Bornheim, Germany. 479pp.
Gutierrez, Santiago. 1992. From a reef's point of view. Mussa angulosa.
FAMA 3/92.
Hoover, John. 1998. Hawai'i's Sea Creatures. A Guide to Hawai'i's Marine
Invertebrates. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu HI. 366pp.
Humann, Paul. 1993. Reef Coral Identification; Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas.
New World Publications, Inc. Jacksonville, FL. 239pp.
McDowell, Mark & Greg Smith. 2001. Meat Coral (Cynarina lacrymalis)-
Where's the beef? FAMA 7/01.
Vargas, Tony. 1998. Feature Coral column: Cynarina. FAMA 7/98.
Veron, J.E.N. 1986. Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. U. of HI press,
Honolulu. 644 pp.
Veron, J.E.N. 2000. Corals of the World. Australian Institute of Marine
Science. Queensland, Australia. three volumes.
To: Part 1, Part
2 | |
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