Symphyllia spp. coralSymphyllia are some of the most colorful large-polyp stony corals out there. Their bodies resemble Lobophyllia in many ways, but unlike lobos, they have a much more diverse color arrangement. I’ve seen them come in just about every color imaginable, and it is very common for [...]
Astrea curta, note the circular, extracalicularly-budded polyps. Credit: Blue World Aquariums Merulinidae: Astrea Four extant species (and two extinct) species make up this newly recognized genus. The species are mostly former Montastraea (plus one Plesiastrea) that are identifiable by their [...]
Favites (complanata?). Credit: unknown Merulinidae: Favites With twenty species, this is the second most speciose genus of merulinid coral. As discussed above, Favites shares most of its morphological characters with Dipsastraea, differing most visibly in the nature of the corallite [...]
Coral identification is a challenge for every aquarist, and few groups pose as many difficulties as the “closed brain corals”. Well known aquarium references (Sprung 1999, Borneman 2001) are rife with erroneous generalizations and outdated taxonomy. Retailers and wholesalers are often [...]
