Zoa or paly..how to identificate?

[iapo]

Hi guys, wich are the difference between zoa and paly.....often we speak about zoa but we should speaking about paly....Hot to identificate?

 

[cloak]

Here's a good article.

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

 

[SushiGirl]

Cloak, I really appreciate that you are giving articles to answer questions. I bookmark them all for the next time the question comes up. Much easier than trying to explain then having folks argue about it LOL.

 

[cloak]

:thumbsup:

 

[A. Grandis]

Yes, and that article is one of the best to be used, I believe.
:thumbsup:
Grandis.

 

[iapo]

Thank so much:thumbsup:

 

[29mixedreef]

Zoas are usually smalller and skirt is shorter palys are bigger hairylong skirt

 

[Zeyko]

Zoas are usually smalller and skirt is shorter palys are bigger hairylong skirt

Agree with you, Palys are bigger than zoanthids

 

[SushiGirl]

I have palys that are smaller than some of my zoas. Some palys have short skirts and some zoas have long skirts. The easiest way to tell them apart is that palys & protopalys will have sand embedded in their mat & stalks that shows as little white flecks & zoas do not.

The article contains much info.

 

[A. Grandis]

I would say that Palythoa spp. and Protopalythoa spp. could have sand or similar substrate embedded in them. I have found both of them in the wild without any grain of sand or similar substrate in their tissue simply because there was no sand around where they were found. On the upper side of my tank the Palythoas and Protopalythoas don't have a grain of sand in them.

If there is sand or similar substrate in their tissue they are not Zoanthus.

The skirts can vary, yes, and shouldn't be dependable for proper identification.

Grandis.

 

[SushiGirl]

I agree with the could, if there's none around they'd have no place to get it from. That said, I have some palys that have always been at the top of my tank and I have yet to figure out how the new growth have sand in them LOL.

 

[A. Grandis]

Grandis

 

[A. Grandis]

Palys are usually much larger and have larger "tentacles" sticking out at the edges.

The difference of their size doesn't tell the two genera apart.
People eaters are large polyps and are classified as Zoanthus gigantus.
Some small Zoanthus spp. also could have long skirts, so that wouldn't be a good point to tell them apart either.
Sorry.

Grandis.

 

[silas k]

Good Info thanks