soft coral id

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I'm almost certain its an Alcyooniid leather. With a better pic (no digital zoom please... it ruins the image resolution. Just get your camera to touch the glass and use the fullest extension of your optical lens only. Never digital zoom.)

I wish I had a better picture of Dampia to show you. The hobby book and google images do not show mature colonies in low flow which resemble your coral very much.

Its not specifically Australian either.
 
how long i have awaited ur response anthony
do leather corals always feel very tough when u touch them because this coral is so very soft like a xeina
i can tell u im 99% positive this is from the australian cost as it is highly illegal to import inverts in to australia its eaither from west australian coast north west australia the northen territory or the great barrier reef
here are sum more pics for u to look at its growing quiet fast and dose so by bending a branch down and adheasing to a rock its done this more then a dozen times with the 5 colonys i had on one peices of rock



 
no... Alcyoniid leathers do not always feel rough my friend. Some are rather slimy or in between.

Do check out the Australian reference "Soft Corals and Sea Fans" by Aldersale (2001) and use his key to take a sample of spicules from your coral to dissolve (bleach a small piece of tssue) and loupe the spicules. You can at least narrow this coral down to a genus roughly.

kindly, Anth-
 
so is it common for alcyoniid leathers to make there tips in to open tubes and bend over and attach to rocks
have u had any presonal experince with this coral anthony?
 
after studing bornemans book of corals the close coral that looks similar is studeriotes longiramosa on page 124 for those playing at home although it says its aposymbiotic but i cant imagine this coral i have to be with out zooxanthella as it is growing and spreading
 
wow... my friend, if you think this is Studeroites... you need to read much, much, much more (text... not pics) to understand how taxonomically that is about as likely as this unIded coral being a mouse :)

You cannot ID corals to species by pics... and generally to genera is tricky too. You must look at the structures... a strong magnifying glass or jewelers loupe will be fine. And get Alderslades book (its cheap in Australia... over here in the US I bought mine for less than $30.. and its published in Oz!)

As for the bending and exaggerated "tubes" it is typical of (again) the genus Dampia.
 
well yeah i kinda feel like ur making me look stupid for saying that now i understand what u mean by not being able to id the coral from a pictuer its just the pic in bornemans book is very simaler to mine in the growth structer

im sorry if i am taking up ur valuable time i havent read all of bornemans book and i know he discuss taxonomy but im not up to that chapter yet and i will look for that other book

currently im looking in to a marine biology/aquaculter course so hopefully one day i will be on a level that we can have a fluent conversation about corals

also u have not told me wheather u acctually like my this coral or not

p.s. have u dived australia specificly Nigaloo reef

as always and again thank you for ur time

Daniel
 
Your coral is quite beautiful IMO... and I have not had the pleasure of diving Nigaloo reef in Oz. Good luck in your endeavors!

Anth-
 
hmm i will i will have lots of pics to show everyone just how bueatiful australia is
 

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