acan id maybe maximus?

[xdusty6920]

ok. i've seen tons of threads in the past and continue to see threads of people claiming they think they have an acanthastrea maxima. commonly its a lobo or a lord with large polyps etc. whatever the case may be you can almost be 100% sure that whatever it is youve come across, its not a maxima. here is why:
maximas are only found in a small area in oman waters. and have never ever been found anywhere else in the world. oman waters are strictly prohibited. there is absolutely no collecting in that entire area of any sort. so even accidental collection is impossible. also maximas are very uncommon and as a result very difficult to properly id. it would take nothing short of a marine biologist to find and collect one.
so a marine biologist pays to go out and dive illegal waters. he successfully finds one. then risking it all he smuggles it back into the usa. even if that were to happen then what is the likely hood of it being affordable and why in the world would it show up at your local lfs in a common indo shipment.
i really do hate to be negative or close minded but with alittle research youll see what im stating to be true. its just alittle bothering to see "maximas" roll in by the dozens every week when they are really almost impossible to get ahold of.

 

[xdusty6920]

also in the pics i have seen and the info ive read points to maximas being extremely dull. greys, dark greens, browns etc are thier natural colors.

 

[Monkey_Bone]

You beat me to it dusty.
BUT they are found in some instances with bright colors that are partialy covered in that grey'ish transparent color. Leaving only a hint of bright colors showing. Sort of like a semi transparent
grey film over them I guess. Kind of like an Acan. Rotundaflora has.

Ranran:
I think those pics you posted are blastomussa in the 1st set and micro-mussa sp. in the second set.

 

[Amphiprion]

Yes, though I am not trying to narrow it down to the species level--just trying to ascertain whether or not they are even in the genus. If it is indeed cerioid, that will mostly rule out Lobophyllia sp., so most likely one of the Acanthastrea sp. Unfortunately, that is as far as I can go--hope I at least narrowed it down a bit for you.

 

[RandyO]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7628719#post7628719 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xdusty6920
ok. i've seen tons of threads in the past and continue to see threads of people claiming they think they have an acanthastrea maxima. commonly its a lobo or a lord with large polyps etc. whatever the case may be you can almost be 100% sure that whatever it is youve come across, its not a maxima. here is why:
maximas are only found in a small area in oman waters. and have never ever been found anywhere else in the world. oman waters are strictly prohibited. there is absolutely no collecting in that entire area of any sort. so even accidental collection is impossible. also maximas are very uncommon and as a result very difficult to properly id. it would take nothing short of a marine biologist to find and collect one.
so a marine biologist pays to go out and dive illegal waters. he successfully finds one. then risking it all he smuggles it back into the usa. even if that were to happen then what is the likely hood of it being affordable and why in the world would it show up at your local lfs in a common indo shipment.
i really do hate to be negative or close minded but with alittle research youll see what im stating to be true. its just alittle bothering to see "maximas" roll in by the dozens every week when they are really almost impossible to get ahold of.

I would agree with you here xdusty.


Mussid is about as far as it can be narrowed down to with that pic.

 

[stevedola]

so what your saying is theres still a chance

 

[julioperez01]

here is a larger pic for you

 

[oddballs]

are we talking about the blue one or the red one??x dusty were did you find any info on maximas??not being rude i would like to read it any new info is good info!!randyo if you had to guess at these what do you (think) these are?

 

[Monkey_Bone]

julioperez01:
I strongly believe thats a blastomussa.

 

[RandyO]

Re: acan id maybe maximus?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7622164#post7622164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ranran

Some of these large round polyp Mussids have me stumped.
It would help to know where the coral was collected from and the exact diameter of the skeletal corallite.
If I had to take a guess at it, I'd say this coral is a juvenile Lobophyllia sp. I'd guess that in a year or two, it will develop into the form most of us are used to seeing Lobophyllia. But with it being so flat right now, it makes it ever more difficult to ID. Not that looking at a picture is a very accurate form of IDing corals, but for the most part, we can usually break it down to a Family and sometimes a Genus name.

 

[ranran]

it comes from indo that as close as i can say right now. I will ask the wholesaler if he knows a more specific regeon. Its a family buisness were he ships in directly from his brother from indo. We have gotten really lucky from him with a lot of lords and micros. Some are just hard to id.

Its funny my pics make it look huge I may use something for a size reference and take a couple more photos.

 

[Monkey_Bone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7627019#post7627019 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ranran
I think my photo skills are confusing you guys this looks like a acan but with huge polyps. i think the polyps that are splitting and how close my photos are make it look lobo'ish but what do i know i thinks these are fava sp

I take it back.
The second pic is Motasrea sp. not micromussa.
the 1st pic is an acan. lord.

 

[oddballs]

if your going by polyp size the second one looks more like micromussa than montastrea imo.

 

[Monkey_Bone]

I am going by polyp cluster, polyp shapes in those clusters.
The over all uniform hieght of the polyps, and the octogon shaped polyps. Micro mussa are more bulbous and round as well
Not so uniform in height or polyp size.

BTW I ment to spell out MONTASTREA LOL!!!
Fingers moved faster than the brain!

 

[ranran]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7639667#post7639667 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Monkey_Bone
I am going by polyp cluster, polyp shapes in those clusters.
The over all uniform hieght of the polyps, and the octogon shaped polyps. Micro mussa are more bulbous and round as well
Not so uniform in height or polyp size.

BTW I ment to spell out MONTASTREA LOL!!!
Fingers moved faster than the brain!

Not so fast my friend its a micro photos can fool you here is another shot or two of it.

I think you called this micro a acan lord he is another view of it.

Its just hard to id off of photos.

 

[ranran]

Here are acoupkle more shots of the Mussid in ?

What the hey another micro shot just because.

 

[ranran]

opps i dup one of the pics o-well

 

[xdusty6920]

i found all my info using different search engines with different key words. back when acans first started poping up i started going nuts in researching them. i searched and read everything i could find on them. in doing so i found some info on other acans such as maximas. and seeing small facts about location etc lead to more searchs on collections in that area etc etc etc.
i really wish i had some links but unfortunately dont. i bet theres alot more centralized and better info out there then there was back then.

 

[Monkey_Bone]

Yup your right ranran.
I have been fooled by the micro! LOL!!