Brain coral?

pegasus

Well-Known Member
I asked about this hitchiker about a year ago, and didn't get a decisive answer. It's gotten a little bigger (4" across), so it's easier to see more detail. I took this picture after lights out, so it's tentacles are extended. I've seen a few pictures of symphyllia wilsoni that look very, very similar to it. It would be awesome if it were so! Any ideas?


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pegasus

Well-Known Member
Here's a youtube video with some that look like a perfect match... perhaps a little larger. During the daytime, my coral looks just like the first five corals in the video. I don't know if those first five are symphyllia wilsoni, or goniastrea australensis.
 
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pegasus

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reply, spanko. It looks like several different species, so it's hard to nail it down to a specific one. It's fairly young, and it's laying across a ridge in the rock. The mantles aren't joined like a lot of brain corals, but like I said... it's fairly young. It's a beautiful coral, and best of all, it was free! LOL! Perhaps in another year it's pattern will be more defined.
 

pegasus

Well-Known Member
After long deliberation, I think I have finally settled on the right name for this coral. After many hours of extensive searching, the closest thing I can find to it is the Merulina Ampliata. My coral is still small, about 3" across, and the picture is a closeup. The skeletal growth patterns seem to match the M. Ampliata much better than the P. Lamellelina. Here it is again, along with a pic off the internet:


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merulina-ampliata.jpg
 
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