ID Please! Odd looking Proto maybe?

[Bakerman]

Saw this guy at LFS and couldn't pass. Mother colony was beautiful! Can't quite figure it out. Body and behavior seems to be that of a Proto/Palythoa, but the skirt is HUGE and the mother colony's was 3x longer!

 

[Dkuhlmann]

It's not a soft coral, looks kind of like a Duncan LPS. I've seen several different heads on Duncan's and this is similar to one of mine. I'm by no means positive on Duncan for an ID.

Very nice coral, what did you pay for it?

 

[taricha]

I'd say they are what's usually called yellow polyp,
I think parazoanthus gracilis is scientific name but not sure.

 

[cloak]

Check this out. (Yellow Polyps)

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/2/inverts

HTH.

 

[Bakerman]

Thanks all! Looked over the links, and I'm thinking more Duncan at the moment. They haven't fully-fully opened yet, but from what I saw at the LFS the skirt was much, MUCH longer than the yellow polyp pics especially in the mature mother colony.

Dkuh- I paid $10 for it! Was the best part I think. 3/$30, and they had a couple of Zoa's in colors I don't have yet so win!

 

[cloak]

Definitely not a Duncan IMO. If you want to know for sure just run your finger through the colony. Duncan's should have a hard skeleton, these look like they're flexible. They may not be you run of mill Yellow Polyps, but they're definitely something along those lines anyways.

 

[Bakerman]

I run my finger through when I moved them. I may not be too good at recognizing a hard skeleton cause I'm not sure I felt one. There does appear to be some encrusting type base under the polyps, but not much and it may just be the base rock. The polyps themselves do shrivel up to nearly nothing at all when taken out of water, like zoas. I moved the sandy bottom, under an overhang, and it seems tickled to death. The zoas never liked being this low in the tank.

 

[Bakerman]

Yeah, yellow polyps it is. Thanks all!

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Thanks all! Looked over the links, and I'm thinking more Duncan at the moment. They haven't fully-fully opened yet, but from what I saw at the LFS the skirt was much, MUCH longer than the yellow polyp pics especially in the mature mother colony.

Dkuh- I paid $10 for it! Was the best part I think. 3/$30, and they had a couple of Zoa's in colors I don't have yet so win!

:hammer: Somehow I knew you made a great score. :dance:

Can't wait to see some pictures once it's acclimated and open all the way. Duncan is my favorite coral for sure. Love watching them eat mysis

IF that is a Duncan you can expect to pay $7+ per head, I'd say you did very well on that deal

 

[taricha]

Check this out. (Yellow Polyps)



http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/2/inverts



HTH.

Thanks for this link. Interesting read. Had no idea the common yellow polyps aren't well classified organisms.