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© K. Marks Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program www.agrra.org Identifying AGRRA Corals: Part 4 By Judith Lang The following images are Copyright © by New World Publications and by other photographers. Permission is granted to use the photographs in this presentation with the AGRRA Program and, with attribution, for other educational programs.. All other uses are strictly prohibited For images used in Part 4, special thanks to: K. Desai, M. Eakin, P. Humann, R. McCall, W. Precht, C. Rogers, C. Sheppard, R. Steneck, M. Vermeij, E. Weil, A. Yniguez Reminder: What to Look for Underwater Colony shape – massive (= mound, columnar, heavy plates), crust, plate, branching Colony size range – small to big Colony surface – bumpy, smooth, ridged Polyp size – small to big Polyp shape – round, elliptical, irregular, Y-shaped, meandroid (= short or long ridges & valleys) Polyp color – brown, tan, yellow, olive, green, red Septal shape – fat, thin; smooth, toothed Adapted from P.R. Kramer Reminder: Coding Corals in AGRRA Surveys Use the CARICOMP-based coral codes. The code for a genus is the first 4 letters of its genus name. ACRO = Acropora Use the genus code whenever you are unsure of a coral’s species identity. The code for a species is the first letter of the genus name followed by the first 3 letters of its species name. APAL = Acropora palmata Reminder: AGRRA Coral Species The stony corals illustrated in this presentation are limited to species that are found in the wider Caribbean at depths (<20 m) that are typical of most AGRRA surveys. For each species: (number in m and ft = maximum colony size) Examples of branching stony corals Porites porites © C. Rogers © C. Rogers Madracis auretenra © M. Vermeij Acropora palmata easily broken, colony boundaries may be indistinct Porites porites PPOR thick (>2 cm), branches, many with blunt tips PPOR elongate polyps often expand during the day light grey, yellowbrown or blue (clumps to ~1 m/3 ft) © R. Steneck Porites porites PPOR Polyps are alive only near the branch tips in large colonies. Millepora complanata substratum © K. Desai Porites furcata PFUR PFUR long, ~1-2 cm wide, “finger-like” branches, many with rounded tips often gray (clumps to ~2 m/6 ft) © P. Humann Porites furcata PFUR How differs from Porites porites: PFUR branches are thinner, longer, more widely spaced, with more rounded tips form larger colonies PPOR © E. Weil Porites divaricata PDIV thin (<1 cm), short, widely-spaced branches, many subdivided near tip (“Y-shaped”) PDIV grey, yellow-brown to brown (clumps to ~30 cm/1 ft) © C. Rogers Porites divaricata PDIV How differs from Porites furcata: thinner, shorter, more widely-spaced branches, more often divided at tips PDIV PFUR smaller colonies rare on fore reefs © E. Weil Which Is Which? © E. Weil © E. Weil © R. Steneck P. divaricata PDIV P. porites PPOR P. furcata PFUR Complications! Some colonies look like “intermediates” of P. porites and P. furcata or of P. furcata and P. divaricata If unsure of species identity, code as “Porites digitate” PDIG Madracis auretenra MAUR (formerly known as M. mirabilis) thin, fragile, nearparallel and densely packed branches with blunt tips MAUR polyps often expanded by day (look “fuzzy”) pale yellow to yellowbrown (clumps to ~1.5 m/5 ft) © M. Vermeij Madracis auretenra MAUR clumps up to many meters/10s of ft wide form in sheltered habitats © R. Steneck Which Is Which? © E. Weil M. auretenra MAUR (pale yellow) P. porites PPOR (light brown) Madracis decactis MDEC short, stubby knobs, crusts, lumpy crusts or short nodules MDEC distinct polyps with 10 septa/polyp green, tan, grey, yellow-brown or dark brown MDEC (to ~15 cm/6 in) © P. Humann Madracis decactis MDEC How knobby morph differs from Porites porites and Madracis auretenra: knobs are shorter than branches of both knobs are much wider than the branches of M. auretenra generally darker colors © M. Vermeij Which Is Which? © E. Weil M. decactis MDEC P. porites PPOR © R. Steneck Which Is Which? © R. Steneck M. auretenra MAUR M. decactis MDEC Madracis formosa MFOR + M. carmabi MCAR Both have thick branches with blunt tips. MFOR MCAR © M. Vermeij M. formosa: ~ 8 septa/polyp (to ~2 m/6 ft) M. carmabi: 10 septa/polyp, probably a hybrid of M. decactis and M. formosa Madracis formosa MFOR and M. carmabi MCAR Code as MADR if unsure of species identity. How differ from M. decactis: MFOR thick, near-parallel branches, with flattened tips + from M. auretenra: thicker, more widely spaced branches © E. Weil Which Is Which? © P. Humann M. formosa/ M. carmabi MADR © C. Sheppard © E. Weil M. auretenra M. decactis MAUR MDEC Oculina diffusa ODIF short, widely spaced, twisted branches with large, distinct polyps ODIF yellow-brown, or may lack zooxanthellae (to ~30 cm/1 ft) © C. Rogers Oculina diffusa ODIF How differs from Madracis auretenra: polyps and branches are more widely spaced polyps lack “fuzzy appearance” © P. Humann Which Is Which? © E. Weil M. auretenra MAUR O. diffusa ODIF Acropora palmata APAL stout branches tiny polyps are colorless (look white) at the tips of actively growing branches APAL other polyps are brown or yellowbrown (to ~4 m/13 ft) © C. Rogers Acropora palmata APAL branches flatten in calm water © K. Desai Acropora palmata APAL branches flatten in calm water © W. Precht Acropora cervicornis ACER long, slender (1-3 cm), round branches ACER yellow-brown or brown, with white tips (to ~3 m/10 ft) © R. Steneck Acropora cervicornis ACER can form very large clumps © C. Rogers Acropora prolifera APRO A hybrid of A. palmata and A. cervicornis branches (.5-2 cm wide) look like “intermediates” between those of A. palmata and of A. cervicornis (to ~1.5 m/5 ft) APRO Acropora prolifera APRO How “palmate” form differs from A. palmata: Short branches don’t fuse into large thick masses smaller colonies Acropora prolifera APRO How bushy form differs from A. cervicornis: branches are narrower, closer together, and more likely to have a horizontal orientation © M. Eakin/NOAA Which Is Which? © A. Yniguez © C. Rogers A. prolifera APRO A. palmata APAL A. cervicornis ACER Millepora spp. MILL How different from scleractinian stony corals: smooth colony surface has tiny pores with tiny, translucent polyps Millepora alcicornis Millepora complanata MCOM thin, upright lobes above an encrusting base MCOM yellow to tan, lobes have white margins (to ~60 cm/2 ft) © R. Steneck Millepora squarrosa MSQU short, box-like structures with thick walls, blunt tips above an encrusting base MSQU tan to yellow-brown with characteristic reddish, pinkish or lavender tints (to ~5 cm/2 in) © C. Sheppard Which Is Which? © R. Steneck © E. Weil M. complanata MCOM M. squarrosa MSQU Millepora alcicornis small, round to ovoid branches or thin crusts over other benthic animals (here Gorgonia) and the substratum MALC MSQU yellow to tan, branch tips white © R. Steneck Millepora alcicornis MALC How differs from M. complanata and M. squarrosa: thin crusts or small branches + how differs from Oculina diffusa: lacks distinct polyps © E. Weil Which Is Which? © E. Weil M. complanata MCOM M. alcicornis MALC Which Is Which? © R. Steneck M. alcicornis MALC © C. Rogers O. diffusa ODIF