Related FAQs: Agariciids, SPS Corals, Stony/True Coral, Coral System Set-Up, Coral System Lighting, Stony Coral Identification, Stony Coral Selection, Coral Placement,  Foods/Feeding/Nutrition, Disease/Health, Propagation, Growing Reef Corals,  Stony Coral Behavior, Stony Coral Behavior, SPS Identification, SPS Behavior, SPS Compatibility, SPS Selection, SPS Systems, SPS Feeding, SPS Disease, SPS Reproduction, Related Articles: True or Stony Corals, Order Scleractinia, Dyed Corals, /The Best Livestock For Your Reef Aquarium:  Cactus, Elephant Skin, Plate, Lettuce Corals of the Family Agariciidae, pt. 1 To: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5,

Bob Fenner

Agaricia tenuifolia

Family Agariciidae, Gray 1847. All utilize endosymbiotic algae, all colonial. Individual coral polyp skeletons have poorly formed walls, prominent/thickened septo-costae, are immersed in their larger skeletal mass, randomly oriented, spaced, often resembling rough, wrinkled skin. Six living genera.

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Genus Agaricia Lamarck 1801. Species are mostly thin vertical plates (sometimes horizontal). Only found in the Atlantic

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Agaricia agaricites (Linnaeus 1758). Form complex relatively thick layers of connected bifacial fronds. Upright or encrusting/horizontal.

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Agaricia agaricites forma agaricites (Linnaeus 1758). Encrusting colonies of discontinuous reticulated patterns of ridges and valleys. Roatan 2019.

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Agaricia agaricites forma carinata (Linnaeus 1758). Form thick plates of connected bifacial fronds. Upright. A colony in Cozumel 2017.

Agaricia agaricites forma danai (Linnaeus 1758). Form complex relatively thick layers of connected bifacial fronds. Upright or encrusting/horizontal. Often with algae growing at base. One "forma danai" in Bonaire.

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Agaricia agaricites forma purpurea (Linnaeus 1758). Encrusting flat colonies of parallel, continuous valleys and high ridges.  Key Largo 2014.

Leptoseris (formerly Agaricia) cucullata, Sunray Lettuce Coral. Saucers/plates w/ distinctive (ray like the sun) septal lines running to the edge. Ridges and valley discontinuous. Corallites are tucked into ridges like no other member of the genus. Tropical W. Atlantic. Here in Cozumel 2016

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Agaricia fragilis, Fragile Saucer Coral. Thin bowl-like colonies; concentric valleys of uneven width. Browns, tans, to greenish and purple. Tropical W. Atlantic. Here in Roatan 2016.

Agaricia grahamae, Graham's Sheet Coral. Looks like thin sheets to thick plates, often as piled up shingles on a sloping reef. Distinctive polyps appear star-like in valleys. Septa and valleys are equal in size (Lamarck's are dissimilar in thickness and height). Bahamas pix. Second pick, Graham's on left, Lamarck's on right for comparison.

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Agaricia humilis, Low Relief Lettuce Coral. Colonies 3-5"; more/less circular, lumpy, high density corallites arranged in reticulated patterns. No long valleys or two-faced lobes. Di pic in Bonaire 2016

Agaricia lamarcki Milne Edwards & Haime 1851, Lamarck's Sheet Coral. Colonies are flat one-faced plates arranged in whorls. Bright white polyps. Dissimilar septa size and wider spacing compared with A. grahamae. Usually brown rust in color with whitish mouths. Belize images.

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To: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5,