WooHoooo! Or, Guess the Parents.

[Timfish]

Had a baby monti show up in one of the systems I take care of!




There's 4 different monti colonies that could be the parents, a superman, sunset and 2 we don't remember the names of.

Superman Monti


Sunset Monti


Forgotten Monti #1 (Very fast growing, this is it's second location. Compared to the other 3 montipora colonies, this one grows about 4 times faster.)


Forgotten Monti #2



This system was set up about 4 years ago. I was asked to take over maintenance about 2 years ago (life happens). Aquarium is a Red Sea 450 with Kessils. No skimmer, filter socks but they haven't been cleaned in over well over 2 years. Refugium with cheato (slow growing, none was harvested for several years). Return pump and 4 power heads. Water changes varied between monthly and weekly with RO/DI. Feeding is frozen typically once a day. PH 8.1 to 8.4 (API). Alkalinity 5 to 10 dKH (Salifert and API). Calcium 300 mg/l to 420 mg/l (Salifert and API). PO4 undectable to .16 mg/l (Salifert and Red Sea) Nitrates undetectable to 1 mg/l (Salifert and Nyos)

 

[Reefing102]

Awesome. If the colors accurate, I’d say it’s forgotten #2

 

[Timfish]

I was thinking the sunset and #2 myself. I'm not sure montis can self fertilize but need eggs and sperm from two different colonies to be viable.

 

[griss]

I was thinking the sunset and #2 myself. I'm not sure montis can self fertilize but need eggs and sperm from two different colonies to be viable.

In a very quick search it appears that at least one species of Montipora is hermaphroditic (M. capitata). From this article, ..."Monipora captata is a simultaneous hermaphrodite that releases egg-sperm bundles." So, it would stand to reason that other species of Montipora do so as well.

edited to add the link.

 

[Timfish]

It could be there's just one parent. And while I consider it highly unlikely, I can't rule out a tiny piece was accidentially fragged and settled at that spot. It would have to have been pretty small thought as it was only 3 or 4 polyps when it was first noticed.

However, with simultaneous hermaphrodites, at least some species, a coral can't self fertilize. Even if there's multiple colonies that spawn, if all the colonies in a location are the same clone line there won't be any successful spawn. This was documented by Secore in 2011 with Elkhorn, Acropora palmata (as related by Nick Ireland at a local frag swap in 2012). While Montipora are a separate genus they are closely related to Acropora. My own experience with having multiple corals spawn unsuccessfully (Rhodactis, Sinularia), including large colony of Yellow Stone Polyps that spawned repeatedly for over a decade, suggests a wide spread inability for clone lines to self fertilize, at least in aquaria.

 

[C.Eymann]

While hybridization is possible between some acropora species as proven with A. prolifera ( palmata × cervicornis) I'm not sure about montipora.
The forgotten monti #2 to me resembles M. venosa, but pics aren't super clear, and I believe it's the mother/ parent colony of the baby.
OG Superman monti is M. monasteriata (not danae as it was originally ID'd) OG sunset is thought to be M. nodosa.
I'd say the most likely cause is either a small broken off fragment gaining a foothold or a polyp bailed out and settled there, same thing that commonly happens with pocciliopora damicornis

 

[Timfish]

While hybridization is possible between some acropora species as proven with A. prolifera ( palmata × cervicornis) I'm not sure about montipora.
The forgotten monti #2 to me resembles M. venosa, but pics aren't super clear, and I believe it's the mother/ parent colony of the baby.
OG Superman monti is M. monasteriata (not danae as it was originally ID'd) OG sunset is thought to be M. nodosa.
I'd say the most likely cause is either a small broken off fragment gaining a foothold or a polyp bailed out and settled there, same thing that commonly happens with pocciliopora damicornis

I seriously doubt it would be a cross species hybridization also. But we can't determine species by coloration or by growth pattern/form. Color and growth of a cloneline or even an individual colony, can vary considerably depending on environmental factors. I have no idea if I have 4 different monti species or 4 different clonelines of a single species or a combination of both. To identify species we'll need to look at the skeletal microstructure or, preferably, sequence the DNA. Additionally, as I have had multiple species of clams successfully spawn over the years I know it certainly is possible in "small" aquaria with minimal maintenance and equipment.

As for Pocillopora damicornis, it is a brooding species. It's releasing larva that crawl or float around until they find a spot to settle and start growing, not polyps.

 

[C.Eymann]

I seriously doubt it would be a cross species hybridization also. But we can't determine species by coloration or by growth pattern/form. Color and growth of a cloneline or even an individual colony, can vary considerably depending on environmental factors. I have no idea if I have 4 different monti species or 4 different clonelines of a single species or a combination of both. To identify species we'll need to look at the skeletal microstructure or, preferably, sequence the DNA. Additionally, as I have had multiple species of clams successfully spawn over the years I know it certainly is possible in "small" aquaria with minimal maintenance and equipment.

As for Pocillopora damicornis, it is a brooding species. It's releasing larva that crawl or float around until they find a spot to settle and start growing, not polyps.

There are quite a few species of both Acropora and montipora that can be pretty accurately ID'd via macro morphological features like coenstrum structures, corallite structure, arrangement etc etc, sure to get a 100% accurate ID you would need to inspect perithecia and septal micro details of a bare skeleton with a scope, but there are quite a few species that have individually unique key identifying morphological characteristics that you don't need a microscope for.

While yes it is possible for pocciliopora damicornis to spawn or release larvae in tanks, it's definitely not normally the case with it spreading in hobbyists tanks unless they are modulating light cycles, lunar cycles and temperatures to induce an actual spawn.

Polyp bail out and settlement is very common with this species, even when not placed under environmental stressors. It's the reason why I call P. damicornis the herpes of coral

Polyp bailout in Pocillopora damicornis following thermal stress - PMC

Polyp bailout is an established but understudied coral stress response that involves the detachment of individual polyps from the colonial form as a means of escaping unfavourable conditions. This may influence both the mortality and asexual ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Timfish]

There are quite a few species of both Acropora and montipora that can be pretty accurately ID'd via macro morphological features like coenstrum structures, corallite structure, arrangement etc etc, sure to get a 100% accurate ID you would need to inspect perithecia and septal micro details of a bare skeleton with a scope, but there are quite a few species that have individually unique key identifying morphological characteristics that you don't need a microscope for.

Yes, you are correct you don't need a microscope. But I didn't say a microscope is neccessary although at least good eyesight if not a magnifying glass (as in my case). From this paper

"The variability found in the skeleton macro- and microstructures of clonal organisms points to the potential pitfalls associated with the exclusive use of morphometry on coral taxonomy"

While yes it is possible for pocciliopora damicornis to spawn or release larvae in tanks, it's definitely not normally the case with it spreading in hobbyists tanks unless they are modulating light cycles, lunar cycles and temperatures to induce an actual spawn.

These variables do appear to be needed to track closely to natural variation for simultaneous broadcast spawning of multiple species but it's a mistake to assume they are all needed to track natural variation for individual species to spawn successfully. You've also assumed these variables are not happening in this system. It's certainly getting a day/night cycle. It's in a room with windows facing south so there ceratinly will be variations in moon light in relation to the lunar cycle`. I haven't tracked temperature in this system but other systems do see some variation betweeen winter and summer so that can't be ruled out.

Polyp bail out and settlement is very common with this species, even when not placed under environmental stress
ors. It's the reason why I call P. damicornis the herpes of coral

Polyp bailout in Pocillopora damicornis following thermal stress - PMC

Polyp bailout is an established but understudied coral stress response that involves the detachment of individual polyps from the colonial form as a means of escaping unfavourable conditions. This may influence both the mortality and asexual ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I didn't say "polyp bailout" doesn't happen. As for it "commonly happening" with Pocillopora damicornis, here's a picture below of a colony from the paper you linked when it happens. I'm inclined to think Pocillopora damicornis is relaeasing planula a lot mnore often as the system I see juvinile colonies in haven't had any corals bleach. This system with these montipora certainly has not experinced the thermal stress required to bleach any of the corals. So, where is your research showing this happens in a system that hasn't experienced bleaching? Where is your research showing other environmental stressers will cause the polyp bailout you seem to claim is so common? Where's your research showing this happens in other coral genus, particularly Montipora as that is the genus we're discussing?

Figure 1

 

[C.Eymann]

I didn't mean to come off in an offensive way, considering that last paragraph I think maybe you are interpreting my reply in that manner.
Yikes, be well my friend.