Bonaire Koosh Balls

[TheRedHead]

That's what it looks like to me. This is one of my favorite unknowns and hopefully clear enough to identify. :05:

 

[archman]

Oooh, this one's challenging! I am going to relish this...

First I think "carpet anemone", but then I remember those stupid fuzzy gorgonians. But I can't see pinnate tentacles, so maybe it's a stony coral with it's polyps out. They often do this when the weather is cloudy and/or deeper water, excepting pillar corals which are daytime feeders; probably why they're so bloody rare, the silly things.

Here's my list of contenders.
Most probable:
1. Pillar Coral
2. Finger Coral (Madracis or Porites)

Less Probable:
3. Corky Sea Finger
4. Sun Anemone

 

[Tom Smedley]

I think Sun Anemone
Stichodactyla helianthus

 

[TheRedHead]

I think Sun Anemone
Stichodactyla helianthus

I thought those grew in flattened discs? Humann says they inhabit shallow back reefs and often carpet an area.

 

[archman]

I thought those grew in flattened discs? Humann says they inhabit shallow back reefs and often carpet an area.

Ah, but they could be overgrowing some dead finger coral! Encrusters are tricky!

 

[TheRedHead]

Ah, but they could be overgrowing some dead finger coral! Encrusters are tricky!

It's too tricky! I've set a goal to learn coral identification and I must say hardly anything looks like the pictures. I bought the Reef Creature and Reef Coral Identification CD along the book and have done the learning exercises. Anything but the most obvious specimens still puzzles me.

I think the koosh balls are also pillar coral with polyps extended and here's why: the two examples were isolated. No evidence of sunshine anenome growing on anything nearby. Pillar coral is also found in the area. I also saw corky sea fingers in the same area, but they look different and usually have many fingers growing in a clump.