Identifying AGRRA Corals: Part 4 By Judith Lang Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program © K. Marks

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

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: What to Look for Underwater

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

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) Reminder: AGRRA Coral Species

Examples of branching stony corals © M. Vermeij © C. Rogers easily broken, colony boundaries may be indistinct Acroporapalmata Madracisauretenra © C. Rogers Poritesporites

Porites porites PPOR thick (>2 cm), branches, many with blunt tips elongate polyps often expand during the day light grey, yellow- brown or blue (clumps to ~1 m/3 ft) © R. Steneck PPOR

Porites porites PPOR Polyps are alive only near the branch tips in large colonies. Milleporacomplanata © K. Desai substratum

Porites furcata PFUR long, ~1-2 cm wide, “finger-like” branches, many with rounded tips often gray (clumps to ~2 m/6 ft) © P. Humann PFUR

Porites furcata PFUR How differs from Porites porites: branches are thinner, longer, more widely spaced, with more rounded tips form larger colonies © E. Weil PFUR PPOR

© C. Rogers Porites divaricata PDIV thin (<1 cm), short, widely-spaced branches, many subdivided near tip (“Y-shaped”) grey, yellow-brown to brown (clumps to ~30 cm/1 ft) PDIV

Porites divaricata PDIV How differs from Porites furcata: thinner, shorter, more widely-spaced branches, more often divided at tips smaller colonies rare on fore reefs PDIV PFUR © E. Weil

P. divaricata P. porites P. furcata PDIV PPOR PFUR Which Is Which? © E. Weil © R. Steneck © E. Weil

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, near- parallel and densely packed branches with blunt tips polyps often expanded by day (look “fuzzy”) pale yellow to yellow- brown (clumps to ~1.5 m/5 ft) © M. Vermeij MAUR

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 P. porites MAUR PPOR (pale yellow) (light brown)

Madracis decactis MDEC short, stubby knobs, crusts, lumpy crusts or short nodules distinct polyps with 10 septa/polyp green, tan, grey, yellow-brown or dark brown (to ~15 cm/6 in) © P. Humann MDEC MDEC

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? © R. Steneck M. decactis P. porites MDEC PPOR © E. Weil

Which Is Which? © R. Steneck M. auretenra M. decactis MAURMDEC

Madracis formosa MFOR + M. carmabi MCAR © M. Vermeij Both have thick branches with blunt tips. MFOR M. formosa: ~ 8 septa/polyp (to ~2 m/6 ft) M. carmabi: 10 septa/polyp, probably a hybrid of M. decactis and M. formosa MCAR

Madracis formosa MFOR and M. carmabi MCAR How differ from M. decactis: thick, near-parallel branches, with flattened tips + from M. auretenra: thicker, more widely spaced branches © E. Weil Code as MADR if unsure of species identity. MFOR

Which Is Which? M. formosa/ M. auretenra M. decactis M. carmabi MADR MAUR MDEC © P. Humann © E. Weil © C. Sheppard

short, widely spaced, twisted branches with large, distinct polyps yellow-brown, or may lack zooxanthellae (to ~30 cm/1 ft) © C. Rogers Oculina diffusa ODIF ODIF

How differs from Madracis auretenra: polyps and branches are more widely spaced polyps lack “fuzzy appearance” © P. Humann Oculina diffusa ODIF

Which Is Which? M. auretenra O. diffusa MAUR ODIF © E. Weil

Acropora palmata APAL © C. Rogers stout branches tiny polyps are colorless (look white) at the tips of actively growing branches other polyps are brown or yellow- brown (to ~4 m/13 ft) APAL

Acropora palmata APAL © K. Desai branches flatten in calm water

Acropora palmata APAL © W. Precht branches flatten in calm water

Acropora cervicornis ACER © R. Steneck long, slender (1-3 cm), round branches yellow-brown or brown, with white tips (to ~3 m/10 ft) ACER

Acropora cervicornis ACER © C. Rogers can form very large clumps

Acropora prolifera APRO A hybrid of A. palmata and A. cervicornis © C. Sheppard 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 © A. Yniguez 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

© A. Yniguez A. prolifera A. palmataA. cervicornis APRO APAL ACER Which Is Which? © C. Rogers

Millepora spp. MILL How different from scleractinian stony corals: smooth colony surface has tiny pores with tiny, translucent polyps © R. McCall Millepora alcicornis

Millepora complanata MCOM thin, upright lobes above an encrusting base yellow to tan, lobes have white margins (to ~60 cm/2 ft) © R. Steneck MCOM

Millepora squarrosa MSQU short, box-like structures with thick walls, blunt tips above an encrusting base tan to yellow-brown with characteristic reddish, pinkish or lavender tints (to ~5 cm/2 in) © C. Sheppard MSQU

© E. Weil Which Is Which? © R. Steneck M. complanata M. squarrosa MCOM MSQU

Millepora alcicornis MALC small, round to ovoid branches or thin crusts over other benthic animals (here Gorgonia) and the substratum yellow to tan, branch tips white © R. Steneck MSQU

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? M. complanataM. alcicornis MCOM MALC © E. Weil

Which Is Which? M. alcicornis O. diffusa MALC ODIF © C. Rogers© R. Steneck