Can any expert ID this coral for me please?

[fixingstill]

Can any expert ID this coral for me please?

 

[RogueGrown]

Im no expert but it looks like birdsnest to me.

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[fixingstill]

This thing is soft so it is birdsnet coral? This morning couple branches fell off on the sand bed. I am just hoping it is not dying. Maybe my crab knocked them off. Any comments are welcome.

 

[Tripod1404]

It looks like a purple stylophora. Not to confuse with seriatopora which is birdsnest. I have seen people using these names interchangeably which is incorrect. Birds nest have very clear sharp, pointy tips, stylophora have rounded tips. But both of those are stony corals.

If it is completely soft, it might be a finger leather coral (sinularia) although all the ones a saw were yellow not purple.


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[GQuinn]

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reef/leather/images/StubbyFingerLeatherCoral_CladiellaSpWRL_P376.jpg

If is "soft", my guess would be Cladiella species.

 

[JWClark]

If soft then Sinularia it is. Possibly a fat finger leather. I've had one that was purple (on divers den from time to time). Though mine had a thick base between the fingers and the rock.

 

[JWClark]

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reef/leather/images/StubbyFingerLeatherCoral_CladiellaSpWRL_P376.jpg

If is "soft", my guess would be Cladiella species.

That looks like a better guess.

 

[JonezNReef]

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reef/leather/images/stubbyfingerleathercoral_cladiellaspwrl_p376.jpg

if is "soft", my guess would be cladiella species.

+1

 

[fixingstill]

Cladiella I would assume then.
So, they reproduce by branch-dropping. I hope this is what mine was doing. Total of 4 pieces have fallen and the coral itself has shrunken like dying. I hope it is a routine during branch-dropping. I have seen the same with my kenya tree coral. If anyone can confirm it, I would appreciate that.

 

[whittmj1128]

Young Blushing leather

 

[hkgar]

It looks like a purple stylophora. Not to confuse with seriatopora which is birdsnest. I have seen people using these names interchangeably which is incorrect. Birds nest have very clear sharp, pointy tips, stylophora have rounded tips. But both of those are stony corals.

If it is completely soft, it might be a finger leather coral (sinularia) although all the ones a saw were yellow not purple.


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Yup. Here's mine

https://photos.app.goo.gl/V1xgH8wUz4s2Si217