"Cali Tort" Discussion

[klepto]

I have been pondering this for a while. I thought I would see what others are thinking.

Kevin (Divers Den- DD) labels FHI's Cali Tort as an Acropora tortuosa.

Why is it that this commonly tank raised coral looks nothing like the wild A. tortuosa individuals that Veron describes? All of the "cali torts" that I have seen and those that DD sells look much more like A. gomezi or perhaps even A. vaughani.

Is this possibly another misnomer in the hobby?

OR

Is "cali tort" a true tortuosa, and could the root of it's different appearance lie in the fact that it has been raised in captivity for generations, altering the morphology of the individual?

Thoughts please!

 

[Whisperer]

There are so many misnomer in this hobby, you just have to take most of IDs with a grain of salt (pun intended). Fancy names takes away the true identity (specie) of the coral. I wish we could attach a specie name to each fancy name as a standard nomenclature.

 

[dots]

To better understand where we are, it is a good idea to know where we have been.

http://www.reeffarmers.com/

In the end, morphology can take place, misidentifying either by deliberate or accidental may happen....or just plain wrong.

If your looking for just an "Tort" then double check the listing based on your references. However, please remember most "frags" tend to be too young too determine and even then, often need to be examined closely, in person. Most don't take that effort.

If your wanting a "Cali, Oregon, Becker, Bennett" what have you Tort, then seek out those collectors whom you respect and can verify the pedigree if that is what interests you.

Are the ones you refer to correct....?

FWIW, most of the "fancy names" are given because sometimes we just simply don't know and its very difficult to determine. If one does, and they are wrong....its often more confusing to the hobby at large if a popular coral is mislabeled......and they are out there.