Help with acro ID

[Eric P]

Anyone know what type of acro this is? I went to the store just to look around and somehow this one snuck it's way into my car.

Thanks

[grazhopr]

I donīt know about IDing corals yet, but this much I know:
Itīs a stunning one !!!

[Mrs Smith]

I'd call it Acropora purpletipperus, but this is coming from someone who kept an Acropora somethingorother for quite some time.

Good luck, and hopefully someone with more taxonomy knowledge will pipe up.

Danielle

(PS. It really is a lovely colony!)

[OodleyBoodely]

Wow! What a beauty! Tell you what, snip a small frag and send it to me. Under closer scrutiny I might be able to ID if for you.


No, seriously!

[Eric P]

Oodley,
Once it gets big enough to frag and survive, no problem...

Anyone else have any ideas as to an I.D. on this one?
Nice purple tip acro may have to do for a while...

Eric...

[OodleyBoodely]

Oodley, Once it gets big enough to frag and survive, no problem...

WhoooHooooo!

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by Eric P
...any ideas as to an I.D. on this one?
Nice purple tip acro may have to do...

Well...

Trying to ID ANY of the Family Acroporidae from pictures is more than difficult, it is more often incorrect than not. Morphology is so strongly affected by current, lighting, depth (color of lighting) and nearby competitors that getting to the genus level with fewer than 5 to 10 possible spp. candidates is often as close as ID is possible. Definite positive ID can be done with skeletal analysis from the keys, but needs good photos of the coral while alive and the photo must have GOOD RESOLUTION OF THE CORAL AND ITS CORALLITES AND POLYPS.

Given the size of the specimen, getting to the group of candidates is still difficult with such a small specimen, but from the general appearance and poor quality of the photo, about the best group to limit this discussion to would be those corals of the genus Acropora that form corymbose clumps with short thin branches and suppressed radial corallites. Even within this loose definition of this group, there is much variability and plasticity of morphology. Colonies exposed to wave action will have shorter, more compacted branches, while those from more protected environments will have longer, thinner, more irregular branches. This feature alone may push this specimen into another group, those Acropora spp. that form corymbose colonies with diverging horizontal branches and small radial corallites, or based on the lack of resolution in the photo, those A. that form corymbose bushes with prominent radial corallites. Even this small group is based on the assumption that the corallites are indeed round, and not scale-like or those having extended or partial corallites.

Based on the quality of the photo and the limited size of the colony, we can prolly limit the field to about 50 to 70 Acropora spp., and that is based on a number of givens...

My best guess based on several assumptions would be Acropora nana or A. azurea, but, as I said, this is with a large number of givens, as there is not a good resolution of the corallites, and no pix of the base.

With all the variables in id'ing these beauties, the need for very exacting information and a good skeletal specimen and accurate descriptions of the coral morphology of the specimien in question are crucial, and even then, can be a 50/50 shot at getting it right. The only sure thing is DNA analysis.

Sorry to digress so far out, but it is a necessary evil when attempting a positive ID.

But like OB, overnight me a few good 3 to 5 cm specimens and I will give you a good ID! Email me and I'll give you the packing specifications

hth

[Doug1]

OH man Tom, that brought back the migraines from MACO class

But its a nice looking acrowhatever none the less

[MiddletonMark]

Gorgeous Acropora sp. Hope it does well for you!

A wise man [JB NY] once said

All Acropora species identifications given are strictly for entertainment purposes only. True identification of acropora to the species level requires actual skeletal samples and much time under a microscope by professionals, and even then, it's no walk in the park.

TDWyatt did a heck of a job at naming the difficulties

[Eric P]

WOW Tom, Thanks for the leson on how dificult it is to I.D. acro's. Would a better picture help? If I reposition it in the tank I can get some macro shots and also the base.
I have no problem sending out some frags to whoever wants them when the time comes. Once the colony is large enough to frag. (branch's are a little short)

Thanks, Eric...

[rleechb]

looks like an a. nana to me.

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by Eric P
Would a better picture help?

better pix would help, especially ones that show the fine detail of the corallites themselves, but that is only part of the issue. Many corals have plasticity to such a degree that thery often can assuem the general morphology of another coral depending on the environmental conditions.

The following is from Eric' s (Borneman) Aquarium Corals and depicts differences nin morphology of Pocillipora damicornis colonies in different locations on a reef. This is typical for most stony corals and accounts for their ecological success in terms of geological time.

[MiddletonMark]

As a side comment ... I know Eric B. is going to be taking people thru the ID process of an Acropora starting on Sunday.

Given a bleached branch of something you have in-tank and a scope/hand lens/magnifying tool ... you could probably get a good idea of the intricacies of it at least [or so my thought is].

Figured as this topic is `up' and his little mini-class [whatever you call it] starts on 5.9 this Sunday ... might be appropriate timing.