Need some clarification

[luvabunny]

I am confused about the difference (or sameness) between....
acanthastrea (acan)
echinata (also seen called acan echinata)
brain coral (also seen called acan)
blastomussa (blastos)
favia (also seen called favites)

I have tried to google pictures of these different corals, and I can find so many pictures that are supposed to be the same type, but don't even resemble each other, that I don't know really what the determining factors are between them.

Please someone help to clarify for me. Are these many "popular" names for the same coral? If they are different, how so?

 

[Lytehouse]

Occasionally Google gives too much info.

I would encourage you to check out, from the Comas library, the book

Aquarium Corals by Borneman

If you are coming Saturday, I'll try to remember to bring mine for you to look at....

Off the top of my head,

Echinata is a form of Acanthastrea (acan)-- from my experience, they are a more agressive animal, like your green sps coral is more agressive

Blastomussa has 2 types:

Wellsi-- which tend to have tall, thin skeletons like pencils stacked together with brightly colored polyps on the ends; and
Merleti-- which are fluffier, dime to half dollar sized polyps in multiple, bright colors

I've seen lots of things called brain coral, but mostly-- meaty corals that are from seral inches to 8 inches across in multiple colors

Favia-- is a genus of its own, like Blastomussa. They are usuall tightly packed polyps, many times with the face being a contrasting color from the body. They come in many, many colors.

I remember opening bags of coral with a buddy and, at the time, had a pretty good handly on zoanthids and acans. I started seeing so many different corals and thought I would never learn enough to collect anything but zoanthids. I still struggle with names of SPS, but you will quickly get used to seeing corals if you watch the speciality forums and browse the sellers forums where names and pictures are often together.

Hope this helps a little,

 

[happysak]

+1 on Bornman book. Good read.

 

[luvabunny]

I do intend to be at the meeting on Saturday and would love to see the book. Who do I contact to check it out?

Interestingly enough, it is the specialty and sellers forums on RC which has led to my confusion. I thought I had a pretty good handle on it as well, until I started seeing pics that didn't resemble what I thought they were.

I think part of my confusion may come from pics being shown when the "meat" is not fully open. I've always considered favia to be close to the skeleton, with just a "skin" covering the rock basically, acros to be a little more "meaty, and blastos, like you said, to be the most "meaty", however, this is where my confusion with "brain" comes in, because I've always considered them to be an entirely different coral, but I've seen several places where they are cross referenced as acros.

So...as far as acans go...acan echinata, acan lordhowensis, acan whatever, are all acanthastrea - just different subspecies, or even just someones pet name for them?

When I mentally picture blasto wellsi as you've explained it, I come up with candy cane corals. Are these one and the same too?

BTW Lynn, I would consider the pic in your avatar to be a blasto merleti frag. Am I right?

 

[Lytehouse]

BTW Lynn, I would consider the pic in your avatar to be a blasto merleti frag. Am I right?

----------------

Yes, one of my favorite corals

The book can be checked out on the mycomas site in the library section.

 

[oddballs]

All of the corals that are mentioned in this thread are considered lps (large polp stony corals)which is a hobbyist catagory,not really scientific at all. acroporas which are the exception are considered a sps (small polyp stony coral) which in no way resemble favias,acans,blastos,favias, favites etc etc.. .

Acathastrea has 15 described species in the familly the most common in the hobby are echinata,rotundiflora,subechinata,lordhowensis,and hillae.

favia has 24 species in the familly with some being more common than others.

As Lyn said earlier Blastomussa has 2 members in its familly with one being way smaller in polyp size than the other.

Favites looks a lot like favias except that there polyp walls are conected compared to favias which are seperated.

Brain coral is "common Name" which is used in my opinion on way to many species of corals,from favia,montastrea,favites,favia,lobophyllia,trachyphylia,and about 10 others that I can not think of !! This is why I think common names are kinda worthless as they seem to confuse more than help imo !.

Acroporas on the other hand look like "sticks or trees" as my mother describes them. They in no way look anything like the above mentioned corals in that they are not as fluffy and there polyp size is "tiny" compared to the above species!

Good luck on figuring this out!! It seems that the internet is sometimes more confusing than it is helpful,get the bornemen book(stick to books vs the internett!!) it taught me a ton about 6 years ago,and I still read it regularly!! A lot of the retailers are as lost as you are so take what they say with more than a grain of salt as they !!say

 

[luvabunny]

Yup! Book time it is. I need to see some pics that go with the right names, to get it straight.
Whoever is in charge of the COMAS library, would you please bring the aforementioned book to tomorrows meeting for me?