Hitchhicker id, please

[albert]

Hitchhiker id, please

Could you id these beatiful hitchhikers. There are similar ones in wetwebmedia faqs referred to as "non-photosynthetic stony coral".

 

[Curtswearing]

Albert,

It looks like a brown cup coral to me. Do these pics match? http://www.oceanlight.com/lightbox.php?sp=Paracyathus_stearnsi
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=Paracyathus

 

[Krish]

They look similar to me Curt!

 

[albert]

Thanks, Curt!
Here is one quite similar.
http://www.ocdiving.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=534

 

[Anthony Calfo]

can you tell us the origin of the rock? Often times Atlantic source rocks have various solitary cup corals.

Some are Dendrophylliid in nature... others are not.

 

[albert]

The rock is Indonesian origin.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

In Indonesia, there are more than a few solitary stony corals like this including members of Balanophyllia (a Dendrophylliid) as well as genera from Rhizangiidae (Rhizotrochus and Astrangia), Flabellinidae (Javenia, Monomyces) and Caryophylliidae (Caryophyllia).

Pic ID alone will not help us here. You likely need to buy a good reference book or two my friend and study the plates closer while looking at your specimen on hand.

 

[albert]

Thanks, Anthony!
Could you suggest some good reference book except Veron's COTW, which I have already.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

I can indeed If you go to the sticky atop this forum called "Fav links..." you will see a post inside for my favorite books/references (plus a lot of other great threads and info)

I'll add to that list, Erhardt and Knop Indo Pacific Field Guide (2005) Ikan publishing by ConchBooks distributor