Pretty hitchhikers. Ids?

[Reef Bass]

This green thing is pretty neato. It's growing on a rock with a colony of palythoas. It looks like it's encrusting and also forming a few protruberances. It has lps like small tentacles around the perimeter but they aren't organized around mouths. While it has a few center points of origin for its pattern, I'm not seeing oral slits. The way the pattern is organized around those center points they have to be mouths though. The primary protruberances also have awesome patterns on the ends. Any guesses what it might be?

While I intended this simply to show the neat hitchhiker, the photo turned out well in my opinion.

There is also this other little clove polyp / xenia looking thing on another part of the rock. Any guesses?

Thanks.

 

[sulcata1619]

Common name of that guy is cactus coral also known as a pavona.

 

[Reef Bass]

Cool. Thanks Mike!

 

[treesmoker]

i'm pretty sure the green piece isn't pavona. I think it's a lepastrea. the second one is a clove polyp.

 

[Reef Bass]

Thanks for your input Jake. I enjoy the "what is it?" discussions. The incredible variety of life in reef tanks is awesome. There have been a number of replies stating that the green thing is pavona and one vote for lepastrea.

I am not familiar with either. All the images I see on the net of pavona (an sps) and lepastrea (an lps) show pretty furry / high PE corals which this does not exhibit.

Here's what I see in the green piece. The entire thing is a larger in diameter than a pencil eraser but smaller than a dime. To my eye, it appears the body is comprised of 9 or so size larger, variably sized and shaped polyps. I've circled the basic polyp structure I'm seeing.

If I am correct with this basic organization, then it sure seems like this an lps, not an sps. Plus there are small single tentacles or tentacle like protruberances around the perimeter of what I see as each polyp, not in the center of the polyp. Nowhere do I see any clusters of tentacles that resemble a typical sps polyp. The polyps have significant ridges and valleys, very much like one sees on lps, not sps.

And if this is an sps, where are the coralites? The large flat polyps I've outlined with ridges? I'm not seeing the usual cup like coralites that each hold a polyp with multiple tentacles. However, it appears to be forming upright branches, which is more sps like than lps.

In overall apperance, I can see the term "cactus coral" (pavona) loosely applying to it but it looks more lps than sps to me.

 

[sulcata1619]

It is a pavona Jake. I bought it from Steve years ago and it is a hitch hiker on a piece of rock Ken got from me. My piece was alot fuzzier but nowhere near the colors that Ken is producing

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+322+476&pcatid=476

 

[Reef Bass]

Mike, I love your theory, but that rock with the palys came from Jason a couple weeks ago. He pointed it out when I got it saying "plus it's got this weird green thing here". I got my eagle eyes (love them, thanks again) from you but not the palys.

Oh, and while I'm on such a hard headed streak, I think the "not a bonsai" is a bonsai. The other contenders are A. nana and A. valida and the pics I've seen of purple bonsai come closest. I think that puts me in agreement with you and Jeff (finally) but at odds with Tom. Sorry Tom.

 

[coralfarmer]

How about Merlina???

 

[Reef Bass]

Yes, we have another contender! Thanks for the input James.

I read on one site that Merulina can have 3 inch sweepers! I wonder if that could be a problem for the palys essentially next to it? Another article said they are very shy about revealing polyps which seems to be the case with my hitchhiker.

You gentlemen have been very kind suggesting possiblities. I appreciate it. I think my green hitchhiker needs a bit more time to grow to reveal its true self.

I am learning a lot about corals I never knew existed. Yay! Thanks again.