MerulIDF

FAQs about Merulinid Corals Identification

Related Articles: Merulinids, SPS Corals,

What is this ? Scler. ID 3/19/14
I found this coral on a colony of Zoas I received from live aquaria.
Decided to remove from the liverock and add to a frag plug. A couple months later it's spread like crazy. I have searched everywhere and still have no clue what it may be.... Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
-Matt
<That pattern.... Is this Merulina? Bob Fenner>

SPS identification 11/9/13
Hello Mr. F.
How are you?
<Fine; thank you>
Can you please help me identify the coral in the image? I think is a Montipora but I am not sure. It is a beauty, 30 cm high and in order to take best care of it, I need to know what is it.
<... The pic doesn't have enough detail, but this looks like some type of robust Hydnophora at first glance>
I know it doesn't like too much flow, because part of it was in front of an Vortech MP 40 and that part didn't opened the polyps anymore. So I moved the pump a little bit and now seems ok.
Thank you,
Andrei
<Welcome. BobF>

Mystery coral 1/4/13
Hi there,
<Howdy>
I have a Coral and have no idea what it is. I have had several people look at it, and even posted it on livingreefs.com. They suggested I try here.
<Ok>
I purchased it a week ago, the seller said it was Leptastrea.
<Mmm, nah>
When I looked that up, it looked nothing like it. Another person suggested Galaxea,
<Nope>
but the pattern for the polyps is all wrong.
I rather like the coral, and just want to make sure I am giving it the proper care.
Here is a picture with my Hawkfish photo bombing it.
<Heeee!>
The stony portions are purple, and the polyps are a pale bluish white-they run a ring around stony protrusions. The frag itself is about half inch square, on a cut stone plug.
Thanks in advance,
Amy Kantor
<Would like to see a larger, more-resolved image, but do I detect hydnophores here? If so, my guess is on the family Merulinidae:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/merulinidae.htm
Bob Fenner>

LPS identification 5/2/12
Hello Crew;
<Hello Bob>
thank you for such a wonderful web site. And for your time and dedication in sharing this hobby with us. I hope that one of you will be able to identify this small coral. It has a hard shell underneath the carpet type polyps.
The LFS didn't know what it was and sold it to me for five dollars. It has been in my possession for a month now. It seems to be doing well. I also think it moves a little or maybe gets moved by the turbo snails. Not sure on that I have been researching the internet for weeks but cannot locate any similar corals. So that brings me to WetWebMedia in the hope of an identity for this guy or gal.
<Mmm, appears to be a species of Goniopora and quite possibly in poor health. From what I can see, it appears there are 24 tentacles on each polyp which indicate a Goniopora species. Bob may have further input.>
Thank you All
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Bob Carter

LPS identification 5/3/12
Thank you James;
<You're welcome.>
its no wonder there were no photos like it. If it is Goniopora it looks pretty bad.
<There are many species of Goniopora, you may want to Google.>
However the polyps are very responsive to touch and shadows. Maybe there is hope for it.
<Yes, do Google.>
Should I keep it for awhile or dispose of it before it dies of completely. Your thoughts please.
<If it's responsive, I'd keep it.>
Thanks Again
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Re LPS identification 5/3/12
OK, thanks Again
<Welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Bob carter

Comment re. "LPS identification 5/2/12" 5/4/12
Hi James (Salty Dog),
<Hello Alex>
I saw that you identified the coral in the above mentioned query as Goniopora in poor health.
<It was a guess based on the number of tentacles I could make out.>
I think it might be a Hydnophora pilosa in its normal state of health.
A link for comparison: http://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/tiere/657_Hydnophora_pilosa.htm
<It does appear very similar.>
(which also shows how aggressive this animal can be. I have had a large specimen for quite some time and one night it completely digested a 15 inch Montipora…)
<Yes, I have just read how aggressive these corals can be. Thank you for sharing and will post for others.
James (Salty Dog)>
Cheers, Alex

Coral ID help? 11/17/10
Trying to match this little dude up with photos from your site (and others). I think its a Hydnophora, but which one?
<Looks like H. rigida to me. See here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/merulinidae.htm
Thanks, and have a good one.
Dan
<Or two. Bob Fenner>
Re: Coral ID help?
Thanks.
Welcome

Coral ID help 9/6/2010
Hi there, thanks in advance for the assist, you guys and gals are awesome.
<Howdy Kev>
I have this coral frag and I was told it's a Hydnophora. However, after some research on Hydnophora and family Merulinidae, I'm not sure. The best I could come up with is a massive *Hydnophora exesa*. Do you guys agree or
is this something else entirely?*

*
Also, is there a good visual guide to coral identification on the internet somewhere?
<Mmm, yes... my fave: Asira... Mmm, seems the Sara's site is having troubles currently... Or Jake Adam's http://coralidea.com/
Bob Fenner>
Thanks
Kevin*

Coral Identification? -- 02/12/10
Hi Crew!
>Big J<
Any thoughts on what I might have in the attached photo?
<Mmm, maybe a Hydnophora. Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/merulinidae.htm>
It seems to me
like some sort of SPS based on how it has grown in the past 4 months that I've had it. What is interesting about it though is that where I'm used to the star shaped polyps of many of my other SPS, this has more like "worms" for what I assume are its polyps. Reminds me somewhat of photos of Millepora. Occasionally (usually at night) translucent tubes come out of it in a few spots and extend to a length of perhaps 2 inches or more. Usually only a few of these, whereas the coral is covered in the shorter wormlike and colored "polyps" as seen in the photo.
Also, any new or interesting thoughts on getting rid of hair algae?
<Just what's posted/archived on WWM. Need to know at least the Division...>
I have a few "fields" of it in between some SPS and higher in the tank where my Tomini Tang, Foxface Rabbitfish, Pacific Blue Tang, and Flame Angel can't seem to get to it. I have a Sally Lightfoot, a few random snails, and a couple of Emerald Crabs, but none of these seem to be taking to the fields of hair algae. Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia and Phosphates are all zero. Hardness is around 6/7. Calcium is up around 500.
<[Mg]?>
Temp is 77 and salinity is 1.024. I use RO water and have not been overfeeding (from what I can tell). The hair algae I'm most worried about is the very thick bush of it growing in the middle of some SPS.
Thanks in advance,
Jon Hoover
<Keep reading. Bob Fenner>

Merulina Or Platygyra Coral ID 11/23/09
Hello crew,
<Hi Paul>
This coral was labeled as a Merulina at my LFS. Every picture I've seen of a Merulina looked more like a plating coral or very thin with ruffles. This one is very thick. It is about 1/2" thick in spots. There were other frags of the same thing that were at least an inch thick. I've been wanting a Platygyra for a long time but I've never been able to find one so I was hoping it was a mislabeled Platygyra. After reading about Merulina and
Platygyra I decided to go ahead and purchase it. I'd like help in identifying this specimen so I can better place it. If it is a Merulina I'll put it on a rock higher in my tank. If it is a Platygyra I'll keep it
on the sand. I've only had it for two nights and so far I have not seen any sweeper tentacles. I even looked at like 3:00 am to double check.
<It appears to me you have a Merulina ampliata coral.
Bob may have a more accurate description, and if so, will input here.>
Any thoughts on what this may actually be?
Thanks
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Paul G.

Coral ID - Catalaphyllia jardinei or not Catalaphyllia jardinei? 4/29/09
Gentlemen!
<Mmm, have sent to SaraM for her better analysis>
Please find attached a few pictures of a species that I think may be Catalaphyllia jardinei. I am however seeking your view on its identification.
<Mmm... might be, but I don't think so>
The block of heads is circular with a diameter of 2 inches. The heads are very close together and have individual heads with diameters of 1/3 of an inch. The discs are all uniformly bright green and the tentacles are grey to white in colour. The tentacle tips are white under my lighting conditions.
There is a sharp septa between each head, which is only visible when the discs are very retracted or out of the water.
This species is placed about 3 inches under the water surface.
<Not the habitat of Catalaphyllia...>
The light is a combination of 10,000k VHO (2 x 24W) and white and actinic LEDs. Water circulation is strong for the size of the tank, but does not hit the species directly. Water quality is pristine (dixit my tests) with regular water changes and overskimmed with ozone. The species had been thriving in my tank for over 6 months, not being specifically fed,
<Needs to be>
but grabbing a Mysid or Artemia shrimp on occasion.
Your help in identifying the species is greatly appreciated!
Thank you &
Best regards,
Tim
<Appears to be a starved Duncanopsammia axifuga to me more than anything...
I'd be reading re its needs, meeting them. Bob Fenner>

Re: Coral ID - Catalaphyllia jardinei or not Catalaphyllia 4/29/09
jardinei?
Hi Bob,
<Tim>
Thank you for your reply. However, my expectation is for Duncanopsammia axifuga to have stem/trunk where each of the heads individually attaches, like hammerheads.
<You are correct. Both are meandroid in morphology>
This is not the case with the species in my tank: every head is closely attached to the other and only separated by a sharp septum, and the coral attaches directly to the rock.
<Oh! Sorry re... Is not obvious to me in the images>
But here again, I am a total beginner in coral taxonomy!
The other comment that I would make is that the species is very high in the tank because that is where I chose to put it - and it does seem to be faring quite well so far. Anyway, I will do more research into Duncanopsammia axifuga.
Thank you &
Best regards,
Tim
<Let's wait on SaraM's better experience here. In the meanwhile, If you can send along a larger image (1 mb let's say) better resolved... perhaps taken from the surface down... with the pumps shut off temporarily. Bob Fenner>

Re: Coral ID - Catalaphyllia jardinei or not Catalaphyllia jardinei? Sara M and Jake Adams input -- 4/29/09
Hi Bob,
<Tim>
Thank you for your reply. However, my expectation is for Duncanopsammia axifuga to have stem/trunk where each of the heads individually attaches, like hammerheads.
<You are correct. Both are meandroid in morphology>
<<Hmm... I don't think this is a Duncan, but I do agree with Bob that it does appear meandroid. Maybe a Platygyra sp.?>>
This is not the case with the species in my tank: every head is closely attached to the other and only separated by a sharp septum, and the coral attaches directly to the rock.
<Oh! Sorry re... Is not obvious to me in the images>
But here again, I am a total beginner in coral taxonomy! The other comment that I would make is that the species is very high in the tank because that is where I chose to put it - and it does seem to be faring quite well so far. Anyway, I will do more research into Duncanopsammia axifuga.
Thank you &
Best regards,
Tim
<Let's wait on SaraM's better experience here.>
<<Ha. I'm a "beginner" in coral taxonomy myself... but I think better pictures (ones of the coral completely retracted, showing the skeleton better), would be helpful. Till then, my "best guess" is Platygyra sp. If only I had my Veron books handy here... bunk!>>
<In the meanwhile, If you can send along a larger image (1 mb let's say)
better resolved... perhaps taken from the surface down... with the pumps shut off temporarily. Bob Fenner>
<<Ditto. Sara M.>>

Ok... forget what I just said. I just asked Jake Adams for help. He says it's a Hydnophora pilosa... and unless pics of the skeleton show any different, I have to agree with him.
Cheers,
Sara M.

Re: Coral ID - Catalaphyllia jardinei or not Catalaphyllia jardinei? -- 4/29/09
PIC4
<Tim, please see my last e-mail. You absolutely must resize your images to ~500 KB. I've had to delete your original images -- all of them -- because they're blocking our 10 MB e-mail allowance. In doing so, they're bouncing back other people's messages, which isn't fair. Resize your images, and then send them again. We do specifically ask for this from everyone who writes, as you'll see on the page where you got the Crew e-mail address.
Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Coral ID - Catalaphyllia jardinei or not Catalaphyllia jardinei? -- 4/29/09
Apologies for this,
I sent the pics in large format as requested by Bob in his earlier email,
<<This is so. Sorry, I should have asked for just one image... or had you send them to my personal email... which you eventually did. RMF>>
but will get them resent to you in a smaller format ASAP.
Best
Tim
<Hi Tim, one big image isn't so bad, but eight of them, each over 4 MB
each, simply blocks everything else getting to us. For screen work (as
opposed to print) then 72-96 dpi is fine, and resized to 640 x 480 or 800 x
600 should be ample. If all else fails, crop away everything that isn't
relevant. Thanks for understanding. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Coral ID - Catalaphyllia jardinei or not Catalaphyllia jardinei? -- 4/30/09
I went to look at pics of H pilosa, and it does look very similar
(http://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/tiere/657_Hydnophora_pilosa.htm). In my situation, it is an encrusting type of LPS.
I am currently not in a position to send resized pics now, but will do so at the earliest opportunity.
Best regards,
Tim
<And you. BobF>

Re: Coral ID - Catalaphyllia jardinei or not Catalaphyllia jardinei? -- 4/30/09
Resized pics attached. reasonably sized...
Best
Tim
<Ah yes... I clearly see the skeletal hydnophores here. Bob Fenner>

Coral ID 8/18/08 Hi Again I am not really sure what I have here. it is brilliant green with small polyps on it. I found it in the discount tank at my LFS. It looked healthy so I brought it home. Also, it is not attached to any sort of base. Do you think I should attach it to something? <Likely unnecessary... will attach itself here if this setting is stable physically. However, there is likely to be trouble twixt the Xeniid and Euphylliid visible in the upper left and this Merulinid in time... I'd be reading on WWM re Cnidarian compatibility> If so should the obvious end where it was broken/cut off be the part glued down? Photo attached. Thanks again Jim <A Hydnophora species... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/merulinidae.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Coral ID 9/22/03 Hi crew; <howdy> I am trying to id this coral but not having a lot of luck. I'm thinking Pagoda or Merulina or Pachyseris but I'm not sure. <its tough to say... the shot is distant and the polyp structure is not clear/close... but it does resemble Mycedium or Oxypora. Definitely not pagoda (Turbinaria) or Pachyseris> It is roughly 9" x 6". Small polyps. Here's a pic. <best regards, Anthony>

Need Coral Id - 9/23/03 Anthony, thanks for the stab. I read up on Mycedium & Oxypora and neither fit this coral very well. I inferred from you reply that a close up of the polyps might help. Here you go. Thanks again. Mark Vacca <quite correct... and it does the trick. You have a nifty plating (less common) Hydnophora species. If you have any doubts, please refer to the works of Charlie Veron (the newer volumes if possible). Kind regards, Anthony>

Coral Question Follow Up-Alleged Merulina Sorry forgot to send picture. Here it is. You also said to buy Eric Bornemann's book "Aquarium Corals." Where can I order it. Thanks again! <I reviewed your picture with several friends and our general consensus is this is an octocoral, possibly of the genera Sinularia or Nephthea. Eric Bornemann's book is available at various aquarium e-tailers or online bookstores. -Steven Pro>

Coral Question The LFS told me the name of this coral was Merulina. Is this correct? If not what is the correct name? I have some mushrooms, pulsing Xenia, and this piece in my 55 gallon tank along with a couple of fish. I do a 20% water change every 2 weeks and add iodine at about 4 drops per day. Do I need to add anything else to the tank? pH 8.4 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Calcium 500ppm Phosphate 0.05 alkalinity 11.2 dKH or 4.0 mEq/l <The values given are all good. -Steven Pro>

Coral Identification: Hydnophora 2/24/07 Hi, <Hello Iain, Mich with you tonight.> First of all many thanks for your website - it's a real oracle of useful information. <Glad you think so!> My reason for writing is for a Coral ID (see attached photo and film). <Got the photo, but was unable to open the movie.> I bought the coral in one of my local shops (in the UK) and they said that someone has brought it in as it had become too large. They suggested that it is a Pocillopora but after consulting several books, websites etc I'm not so sure as I haven't found anything that seems similar. <Mmm, don't think it's a Pocillopora.> It's skeleton, is white, branching and very fragile but most of the time the polyps are out so it's hard to see. The polyps extend 8 to 10mm during the day and come out to the point of making the coral look like it's been veiled in a light velvet cloth. It looks great and is growing well but I've never seen an example of it before or since. Any ideas ? Many thanks,
Iain

Id...Possibly Merulina ampliata -- 07/03/07 I can't find the following in any of my books, any ideas? <Hi Brian, I actually replied to this last night on your web site after listening to Bob's pod cast, which was quite good by the way! I tried to post this response but the site only allowed 300 characters. So I sent the second response.> http://bp0.blogger.com/_Saa3csugMNM/RogAXQq9gGI/AAAAAAAAABk/mJwEj4Tqbzs/s1600-h/2007+Jul+02+004.JPG <Greeting! Mich here from www.wetwebmedia.com> Anyone know what type of coral this is? <Hard to tell from just one picture. My best guess is Merulina ampliata> I checked all my books and cannot identify it. I was a bad reefkeeper and bought it without being sure what it was. <Not a good practice or the actions of a conscientious aquarist. 40 lashes with a wet noodle for you!> I highly recommend not doing this. <Me too!> Do your research ahead of time. <Sage advise! Life to you! Michelle Lemech> ===== Greeting! Mich here from www.wetwebmedia.com It is difficult to tell from just one picture. My best guess is coral may be Merulina ampliata. A little more info here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/merulinidae.htm Hope that helps. Michelle Lemech

Id...Possibly Merulina ampliata 7/4/07 <Hi Brian, Mich here.> Hmm...I looked at some pictures of the Merulina, looks different. <Could be. Multiple growth forms are possible, often within the same colony. Some pic's I thought resembled yours: http://www.aquarium-design.fr/Img/ImgTelecharge/Pt/1192.jpg http://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/images/1375.jpg http://www.mailordercorals.com/displayPict.asp?cartID=1154 http://www.reefaholics.org/Sale/reefaholicsimages/images/PIC00088.JPG http://www.atlantisaquarium.net/images/merilina.jpg.JPG The corallites in this species tend to form ridges and valleys which radiate from the center, which is why I though this genus was a possibility.> I did stumble across Agaricia agaricites. Could that be it? <Unlikely, Agaricia is an Atlantic species and generally not available in the trade. Initially, I was think this might be part of the Family Agaricidae, along the lines of a Pachyseris, but the ridges and valleys tend to be more concentric. It is difficult to identify a coral by one photo alone, and for some corals it is outright impossible without skeletal examination. So perhaps it is a Merulina, but it may be something else too. Wish I could be more helpful,
Mich>

Coral Identification 2/2/08 First off I just want to say I love the site, it has helped me lots and lots. A couple weeks ago a friend gave me a couple pieces of coral that he no longer wanted. I thought they would go perfect in my 8g. Any info on this piece of coral will be appreciated. <... looks like a Hydnophora species to me...> The tank has been going for almost a year now with no major problems. Over the tank there is a 70w viper clamp. 15lbs of LR, about a 5 inch live sand bed, 2 small Turbos, 1 small cinnamon clown, 1 watchman goby, 1 peppermint shrimp, 4 blue leg hermits, Cladiella sp, 1 green frogspawn, a small clove polyps, small blue maxima and a couple of feather dusters. <Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/merulinidae.htm and the linked files BobF>

help with coral, ID, lambda.... 3/6/08 Hi Crew! Donna here needing help again. A local reefer gave me a frag of this coral about 4 months ago. She told me it was a Pink Birdsnest <... a Poritid? Mmm, no... Looks more like a Hydnophora species; a Merulinid...> and she had it under PC lighting so I thought it would be okay in my tank. A 20L with PC lights. I put it pretty close to the top. It was doing fine all this time and then I decided to change my lights. It was under 130W PC and I just got the Hagen Glo T5 HO 2X29W one actinic one daylight. I did this 4 days ago and now the coral looks like this. Am I correct in assuming the light is too strong? I moved it lower in the tank for now until I receive your response. Thank you in advance! Donna P.S. the pictures are reversed I couldn't figure out how to get them in the proper order...Sorry <Mmm, I would borrow (check with the stores about, or the local marine/reef club) a PAR meter... Too "guessing" to gauge how much useful light/change otherwise here. I would in the meanwhile use a bit of shading material as discussed here: Bob Fenner>

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