How many species of corals have been known in the world?   11/7/06 Hello Bob,   I'm working for a non-governmental organization in Vietnam. We're producing a magazine for children that is called Green Forest. <Neat!> A child sent to us a question that asking the number of corals in the world. I hope that you can help me to answer this question. Moreover, could you tell me how many species of corals there are in Vietnam or South-east Asia? <Mmm, I don't know exact numbers, but Dr. Veron, Daphne Fautin may be able to help here (via the Net)... Actual Stony Corals (Scleractinians) may be separately searchable vs. all the other myriad Cnidarian groups/classes called "corals"... To me, only the stonies and Soft Corals, Alcyonaceans, are "true" corals...>   Thank you very much for your help and look forward to hearing from you soon,   Cheers,   Thu Hien   Education for Nature-Vietnam <Please do search on the Net re numbers (total and Vietnam) for Scleractinia and Alcyonacea. Bob Fenner> What is on this leather? 9/18/06 We are having a discussion on our local forum. There appears to be a worm or a sweeper tentacle on this yellow Fiji leather (Sarcophyton sp). <Does appear so to me as well> Some of us were under the impression that leathers fought for territory via chemical warfare, and didn't have sweeper tentacles similar to LPS. <This is my impression, recollection as well... And a cursory look/see in my library at hand and the Net shows this as well> Many of us believe it to be a Digitate Hydroid. Please check out the video and tell us what you think. VIDEO < http://www.sykesweb.com/210%20Tank/video/yellow%20fiji%20leather.wmv> Thanks!! -Chuck Jordan <Could be this as well... and even another possibility... some form/species of filter-feeding polychaete worm. I would send this video to folks at Colleges that have invertebrate zoology departments for their guesses/input. My first guess would be the hydroid. Bob Fenner>  

Mystery Softies, Cnid. IDs  6/25/06 - Dear WWM Crew, <Morgan> I am a long time reader/researcher and have enjoyed your site for quite some time.  I am a big fan of researching before I buy, and I do not like to purchase a coral without research and careful consideration.  However,  I have some hitchhiker softies that came out into the light while curing and quarantining.  They are very small still, but are rapidly spreading, and I would like to know the species, or at least the genus, with some certainty so I can care for them and protect my other corals if necessary. This tank is a nano with lots of live rock and very happy symbiotic softies, including anthelia, finger coral, xenia, and leathers, among others, all spreading.  I also have several small zoanthid colonies and lots of strange hitchhikers, like bivalves, tunicates, young serpent stars, and pistol shrimp (I've never seen them, but they keep me awake at night with subsequent pops when something gets too close to their little hideouts).  I have also pulled off several tiny whelk/conch animals and some tiny mysterious crabs for evaluation in isolation.  Everything is great; my peppermint shrimp pair breed and my tiny blenny keeps everything spotless and algae-free.  However, these guys are a mystery, and I would like to know if anyone has any ideas.  They are all on different rocks purchased at different times. The first image contains an animal that came in on what was labeled as Marshall Island live rocks, but I am not sure.  They have eight pinnuled tentacles each, and appear to be encrusting. <Look like clavulariids... perhaps a gorgonian>   When I first saw them they were clearly connected underneath a mass of hard holes (spicules?) that looked to be part of the live rock.  It seemed stony, so I thought perhaps it an encrusting gorgonian. <Could be>   Now I believe it to be Briareum, after reading previous posts.  As it got happier, more and more polyps emerged from the holes, and it began to spread with a pinkish tissue from around the base, spawning tiny new polyps.  It strongly resembles B. asbestinum, but I cannot find a trustworthy image of a retracted colony to compare.  It would make sense geographically, though, if it were Marshall Island rock, right? <Possibly>   (It would also make sense, as something made me sick after cutting my finger on a sharp something in my tank - I blamed palytoxin, but perhaps Briarne?) <Yes...> Obviously, it had suffered severe damage before coming into my possession, and it may be a wild-caught colony.  The top images are with and without flash, and the bottom image is of a dead colony that resembles the retracted live colony. The second image is of a tiny red polyp.  It is VERY tiny, smaller than 1 cm in diameter.  It is a deep, velvet red with white centers.  It is almost certainly encrusting, but there is one polyp not in the image that lives alone (perhaps coralline algae has grown over the base?).  These did not emerge until well after the zoanthid colony it was on finished quarantine.  It seems photoreceptive (it retracts at night), so perhaps an encrusting zooxanthellic gorgonian or an encrusting star polyp? <I'd guess the latter> I have no idea - definitely an octocoral, but flatter than any gorgonian I know if.  Also red tentacles with a white oral disc - what could it be? <Or another Zoanthid species> The third and final image it the most troubling.  The polyps are very beautiful and resemble snowflakes.  They were white but are getting more brown (zooxanthellic change/regrowth?)  It lays flat like the second mystery polyp, but is a tiny bit larger.  The rock it came on was the reason I purchased the Sarcophyton above it, and the whole rock is really held together with sponges and tunicates and coralline algae.  These polyps came into light and began to reproduce, from two to over a dozen, including some young ones.  I believe the choenchyme might show it to be more like Protoalyconaria (Cornularia sp? with small polyps?) than a Scleraxonia, but I cannot be sure because of the nature of the rock it inhabits.  The image is very poor, and I am sorry. I would be really grateful if you help me out! Thank you, Morgan <Can't really make this out of your image. Bob Fenner>