echinophyllia vs echinopora

[oneradtek202]

so what is the difference between these two? i know echinophyllia is a chalice, but they call the other a "chalice" too? i dont get it lol someone explain....

probably will be Gary lol

ive had a echinopora lamellosa in my tank for awhile now (thanks Mark :beer, just wanted to know the difference

 

[Capt_Cully]

When "they" call Echinopora a "chalice" "they" are wrong and just lumping stuff together. Apples and oranges. Genus is different. Like saying you and a chimp are the same Brando.......well wait a minute....let me think about that for a second....

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

The term "chalice" itself is a meaningless hobbyist name that gets applied to a wide variety of corals. Echinopora lamellosa is/was the first of the so called "chalice" corals. I forget who popularized the name....

RandyO might be able to corroborate.

 

[GMaquarium]

I think the mycedium corals were the original chalices. They actually form a cup/chalice like shape. Echinophyllia sorta melts on the the rock it grows on. Echinopora is much more lettuce like, colonies end up looking like monti cap. Oxypora is something in between them all. Although they are not all closely related I think the reason many folks say chalice is because they can often be very difficult to identify correctly, especially when small frags.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

thinking about it some more

thinking about it some more

the hobbyist term "chalice" might have been first popularized by Tyree back around '95.

Obviously, the term "chalice" describes a growth habit that Veron (as well as those before him) probably used in descriptions.

 

[RandyO]

so what is the difference between these two? i know echinophyllia is a chalice, but they call the other a "chalice" too? i dont get it lol someone explain....

probably will be Gary lol

ive had a echinopora lamellosa in my tank for awhile now (thanks Mark :beer, just wanted to know the difference

To add what's already been said,

Echinopora has a thinner skeleton, more mouths per square inch, and much stronger and longer sweeper tentacles. It can grow similar to a montipora capricornus in that the underside will "encrust" onto a rock to hold on, but it's main growth is "plating", almost hovering over the surface it's affixed to. I've also found that they can be very aggressive and have to keep plenty of space around them to protect neighboring corals.

Echinophyllia has many different species, but most are more fleshy with some of the rims of the corals expanding an inch more past the skeleton. Growth can be thick or thin depending on tank conditions. I've found lower light and flow produces a thinner skeleton that spreads out quicker, sometimes even plating, giving a better yield to the frag farmers out there. Higher light and flow tends to grow thicker skeletons that make the colonies put on girth, and grow down the sides of their mounts. This makes it harder to frag, and you get less square inches of coral. They also use mesinary filaments for stinging far more than using sweeper tentacles. And they come in many more colors than Echinopora.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I think Randy would agree with me that the vast majority of corals called "chalice" nowadays are not Echinopora

 

[RandyO]

I think Randy would agree with me that the vast majority of corals called "chalice" nowadays are not Echinopora

Agreed.