Please Help Identify

[fishdoyle]

Can someone please help id the small polyp-type colony on the right side of the attached photo?
Thank you

 

[rykna]

Possibly a pipe organ...it's not fully extended so it's a little bit harder to identify.

 

[yosemite sam]

Are the stalks of the polyps hard or soft? How many 'fingers' are there on each polyp?

 

[fishdoyle]

They look fully extended to me. I've included a better picture.

 

[fishdoyle]

The polyps are soft.

 

[yosemite sam]

Do they have a hard base, or is it soft, too?

 

[fishdoyle]

It's hard for me to tell because these are pretty small. The base looks hard and the polyps soft. Each polyp has eight tiny fingers.

 

[yosemite sam]

Try poking one to see if it's hard or not. I was at first thinking it was an Alveopora, but they have 12 'fingers' on each polyp. It might be some type of leather.

 

[fishdoyle]

Definitely soft. Each one has eight distinct fingers. If it is a leather, I've never seen one like this.

 

[eastland]

4 baby ginoporas ?

 

[hefner413]

are they hitch hikers, I assume?

 

[fishdoyle]

Thanks for the help; yes they came in on a mushroom rock.

 

[hefner413]

so how did they retract when you touched them? did they just ball up or did they retract into a skeleton, etc?

 

[fishdoyle]

My earlier info. wasn't accurate or complete. They retract completely into a hard skeleton.

 

[hefner413]

as eastland stated, I think they are baby gonioporas.

 

[yosemite sam]

Originally Posted by Hefner413
as eastland stated, I think they are baby gonioporas.
They look like it, but gonioporas have 24 fingers on each polyp. Alveoporas have 12. I don't know if this varies when they are younger, but I think it must be something different. Perhaps there is some relative of the two that only has 8 fingers?

 

[hefner413]

hmmm. interesting... man, Sam knows much more about these than I do ) I just checked and yup, my goniopora definitely has a ton of fingers on each polyp - can't make out 24, but I trust you on that one. Either way, you'll have to keep taking pics in the future and keep up updated on their growth.

 

[hefner413]

Ahhhh, just saw that my posts was 911. Had to throw another up quick.... good, now 912. .... sorry... You were saying?

 

[miaheatlvr]

Looks like pipe organ as well,, cool hitchhiker regardless.. I dont think FLOWER POT..

 

[hefner413]

oh yeah, and pipe organ has 8 fingers, might be a better guess...