coral species id - frrp.org

Colony shape (branching, mound, plates, column, crust,

etc)

Colony surface (bumpy, smooth, ridges)

Polyp/Corallite Size (small, big)

Polyp/Corallite shape (round/elliptical, irregular, y-

shaped, „ innies vs outies‟ ridge/valley)

Polyp color (green, brown, tan, yellow, olive, red)

Coral Species ID

Different Corallite Shapes and Sizes

Diploria

strigosa

© W

. H

arr

igan

© M

. W

hite

© S

. S

ule

imán

Montastraea

faveolata

Montastraea

cavernosa

Porites

astreoides

Examples of Massive Stony Corals

© S

. T

horn

ton

Form very large mounds, plates

or crusts (to 4-5 m /12-15 ft)Small, round polyps

Montastraea faveolata MFAV

Surfaces smooth, ridged, or with bumps aligned in vertical rows

© W. Harrigan © M. Weber © R. Steneck


Colonies are flattened, massive-

plates with smooth surfaces under

conditions of low light.


How similar to M. faveolata

Small polyps

Smooth surface

How different

Colonies are subdivided into

numerous mounds or

columns with live polyps at

their summits.

Plates at colony bases under low

light conditions.

(to 3-4 m/9-12 ft)

Montastrea annularis MANN

M. faveolata

MFAV

M. annularis

MANN

Which is which?

© P. Humann

Close-up

How similar to M. faveolata

Small polyps and bumps

How different

Some polyps in bumps

are larger, irregularly

shaped, and may lack

zooxanthellae.

More aggressive spatial

competitor.

Montastrea franksi MFRA

How similar to

M. faveolata

Form mounds,

short columns,

crusts, and/or

plates.

How different

Bumps are scattered

over colony surface.

(to 3-4 m/9-12 ft)


Flattened, massive plate morphology in low light conditions.


How similar to M. annularis

Small round polyps

Mounds

How different

Lighter colors in life,

Walls of some polyps are

more distinct (“outies”)

Bumpy colony surface

(to ~1/2 m/<20 in)

Solenastrea bournoni SBOU

How similar to S. bournoni

Light colours

Polyps with distinct walls

How different

Irregular, lobes above

an encrusting base

(to ~2/3 m/2 ft)

Humann (1993).

Solenastrea hyades SHYA

© J

. Lang

Close-up

large, round polyps

Montastrea cavernosa MCAV

Mounds, single columns,

thick crusts or thick plates.

(< 3 m/9 ft)

Pink fluoresence

sometimes seen

underwater is due to a

symbiotic cyanobacterium

in the polyps.

© E. Weil


Colonies can form

flattened, massive-

plates in low light

conditions.


How similar to M. cavernosa

Distinct polyps

Mounds, crusts or plates

How different

At least some elliptical

and Y-shaped polyps

(usually <.5 m/18 in)

Dichocoenia stokesi DSTO

How similar to D. stokesi

Distinct, round-elongated polyps,

some are Y-shaped.

How different

Polyps look more “spread out.”

Smaller colonies

(usually <10cm/4 in)

© P. Humann

Favia fragum FFRA

M. cavernosa

Palythoa

Close-up

How similar to

M. cavernosa and D. stokesi

Distinct polyps, some round

and others elliptical

Cream or light tan colour

How different

Soft-bodied crusts

Very aggressive spatial

competitor

© P. Humann © R. McCall

Palythoa caribaeorum

Can be an excellent, early bleaching indicator

Palythoa caribaeorum

Sunken polyps (“innies”) with thin septa

Siderastrea siderea SSID

Mounds

(to ~ 2 m/6 ft)

bleached


Fluorescent colours in some bleached colonies

bleached

© R

. G

insburg

dead


Irregular, sunken “pinched” polyps with fatter septa

Small (to ~1/3 m/12 in)

Siderastrea radians SRAD

S. siderea S. radians

Which is which?

Flat polyps which are darker

(have more zoox. pigments) than

intervening tissues

“Blush” when contracting

Mounds or crusts

(to <1 m/<3 ft)

Stephanocoenia intersepta SINT

Yellow, yellow-green or olive

(shallow), gray or brown

(deep or shade)

Small mounds, thick crusts

or plates

(usually < 1 m/3 ft)

© E

. W

eil

Porites astreoides PAST

Polyps are narrow–

but tall and look

“fuzzy” when

expanded.

Colony surfaces

are usually bumpy. Close-up

© P. Humann

Porites astreoides PAST

Close-upHow are they different from

other brain corals

Has narrow “lines” along the

top, and midway down the

sides, of the ridges.

Often bicoloured

Colpophyllia natans CNAT

Forms largest of brain coral mounds in shallow water (to ~3 m/10 ft)

© R

. S

teneck


© T. Turner

Forms massive-plates

in low light conditions


How are they different from other brain corals

Distinct groove along middle of ridge–can be deeper and wider

than the valleys.Close-up

Diploria labryinthiformis DLAB

Mounds

in shallow

water

(to >1 m/4 ft)

Diploria labryinthiformis DLAB


No distinct groove

along middle of

ridge.

Mounds or crusts

in shallow water.

(to ~ 2 m/6 ft)

Diploria strigosa DSTR

Massive-plates in low

light conditions

© Q. Dokken

Diploria strigosa DSTR


Narrow ridges

Irregular, lumpy

crusts in

shallow water

(to >1 m/4 ft)

© R. Steneck

Diploria clivosa DCLI

killing P. astreoides

killing P. astreoides

Mounds and

massive-plates

Very aggressive

for a stony coral

(to ~1 m/3 ft)

Meandrina meandrites MMEA

All species

Meandroid

Raised polyp

centers look like

Stars

Small mounds,

plates or crustsMycetophyllia aliciae

Mycetophyllia spp.

Fleshy polyps

Mounds, cones, thick

plates

(to ~ 1/3 m/12 in)

Mycetophyllia lamarckiana MLAMand

Mycetophyllia danaana MDAN

MLAMMDAN

Thick crusts or

plates

Ridges much

reduced in low

light conditions

(to ~ 1/2 m/20 in.)

© P. Dustan

Mycetophyllia aliciae MALI

Narrow ridges

and valleys

Thin crusts or

plates

(to ~2/3 m/2 ft)

© A. Budd

Mycetophyllia ferox MFER

Very fleshy, wide

meandroid polyps

Narrow line along

top of ridges

Small mounds

(to ~20 cm/8 in)

© R. Steneck

Isophyllia sinuosa ISIN

How different from Mycetophyllia danaana

Fleshier polyps

No “stars‟ around

mouths

© R

. S

teneck



M. lamarckiana MLAM

Which is which?

Very fleshy polyps

Thin line along ridge

tops

Small mounds

(to <20 cm/8 in)

How different

Very short, constricted

valleys usually only have

1-2 polyps

How similar to Isophyllia sinuosa

Isophyllastrea rigida IRIG

Larger, more fleshy

polyps

Lighter polyp colours

More aggressive to

other stony corals

(to ~15 cm/6 in)

How different from Scolymia cubensis

Scolymia lacera SLAC

Tiny, reticulate polyps

Form plates, crusts, lumps, and

keeled colonies

Smallest of the agariciids

(to ~ 1 m/3 ft)

plate

lump

keels

Agaricia agaricites AAGA

How different from A. agaricites

Thick, dense plates

Distinct polyp mouths

(to ~ 2 m/6 ft)

Agaricia lamarcki ALAM

How different from A. agaricites

Thin plates, not reticulate

Distinct septa; polyp mouths point towards colony margin

(to ~ 2 m/6 ft)

Can be confused

with A. undata

(has smaller,

straighter ridges;

Humann p. 142)

Leptoseris cucullata LCUC

Acropora

cervicornis

Acropora

palmata

© R. McCall

Porites

porites

© R. McCall

Fragment easily; colony

boundaries may be

indistinct

Examples of Branching Stony Corals

Thin, long branches

with round tips

(Clumps to >1 m/3ft wide)

Porites furcata PFUR

Intermediate in appearance & is a hybrid between A. palmata and

A. cervicornis

Acropora prolifera APRO

Dense clumps

(Can be many meters/10s of ft wide in sheltered habitats)

Madracis mirablis MMIR

Short, stubby knobs

or lumpy crusts

10 septa/polyp

(to ~15 cm/6 in)

Madracis decactis MDEC

How different from M. decactis

Upright branches

With blunt tops

8-10 septa/polyp

(to < 2m/6 ft)

Madracis formosa MFOR

Round to ovoid, stalked poylps

(to ~2/3 m/<3 ft)

Eusmilia fastigiata EFAS

How similar to E. fastigiata

Stalked polyps, only alive at tips

How different

Polyps are fleshy,

larger, round, and

opaque in colour

Septa have large teeth

(to <1 m/3 ft)

Mussa angulosa MANG

Polyps usually

expanded by day

Dense columns,

(to >3m/10 ft)

Dendrogyra cylindrus DCYL

How different from scleractinian stony corals

Smooth colony surface has

tiny pores with minute,

translucent polyps.

Millepora alcicornis

Millepora spp.

How different from M. complanata

Encrusts substratum and

other organisms

Small, rounded branches

© R. Steneck

(to ~1/2 m/<20 in)

© R. Steneck

Millepora alcicornis MALC

coral species id - frrp.org

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