Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 220 views

    Hard Coral Identification Guide

    Uploaded by

    ramontranquilo
    This field identification guide provides pictures and descriptions of 58 hard coral species found in Bocas del Toro, Panama to facilitate identification in the field. The guide is organized by coral growth forms including branching, leafy plate, massive, meandroid brain, and fleshy corals. Most pictures were taken in Bocas del Toro from 2010-2012, with some from other sources. The guide aims to allow easy identification of local coral species while underwater.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Hard Coral Identification Guide

    Uploaded by

    ramontranquilo
    220 views7 pages
    This field identification guide provides pictures and descriptions of 58 hard coral species found in Bocas del Toro, Panama to facilitate identification in the field. The guide is organized by coral growth forms including branching, leafy plate, massive, meandroid brain, and fleshy corals. Most pictures were taken in Bocas del Toro from 2010-2012, with some from other sources. The guide aims to allow easy identification of local coral species while underwater.

    Original Title

    201215 Hard Coral Identification Guide

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    This field identification guide provides pictures and descriptions of 58 hard coral species found in Bocas del Toro, Panama to facilitate identification in the field. The guide is organized by coral growth forms including branching, leafy plate, massive, meandroid brain, and fleshy corals. Most pictures were taken in Bocas del Toro from 2010-2012, with some from other sources. The guide aims to allow easy identification of local coral species while underwater.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    220 views7 pages

    Hard Coral Identification Guide

    Uploaded by

    ramontranquilo
    This field identification guide provides pictures and descriptions of 58 hard coral species found in Bocas del Toro, Panama to facilitate identification in the field. The guide is organized by coral growth forms including branching, leafy plate, massive, meandroid brain, and fleshy corals. Most pictures were taken in Bocas del Toro from 2010-2012, with some from other sources. The guide aims to allow easy identification of local coral species while underwater.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 7
    At a glance
    Powered by AI
    The document describes a field guide for identifying 58 hard coral species found in Bocas del Toro, Panama. It provides pictures and descriptions to facilitate identification.

    Acropora cervicornis, Acropora palmata, Porites porites, Porites furcata are some common branching coral species described.

    Agaricia agaricites, Agaricia fragilis, Agaricia lamarcki, Favia fragum are some common encrusting/massive coral species described.

    AFieldIdentificationGuidetoHardCoralsofBocasdel ToroArchipelago,Panama

    RodrigoCarballoBolaos,Janina Seemann,CindyT.Gonzalez
    This field identification guide was developed to facilitate species identification of hard corals while working in the field. It provides pictures of the shape, unique characters of each species and a short description to easily identify all 58 species occurring in Bocas del Toro. The pictures were taken2010 2012intheArchipelagoofBocasdelToro,Panama. Speciesnamesmarkedwithgreycolorarethemostcommonspecies found inthearea. Those pictures of species missing were acquired from other authors that haveworkedintheCaribbean(Picturereferences).

    Picturereferences
    AllpicturesweretakenbyJanina Seemann andCindyGonzalezexceptforthefollowing: Agaricia grahamae (small), Madracis asperula (small), Mycetophyllia reesi (big), Oculina diffusa (both) were taken from Veron JEN (2000) Corals of the World. Australian Institute of MarineScience,Townsville,Australia. Agaricia grahamae (big), Agaricia undata (small), Dichocoenia stockesi (both), Madracis pharensis (small), Manicina areolata (small), Millepora squarrosa (both), Mycetophyllia reesi (small) were taken from Coralpedia v1.0. A guide to Caribbean corals, octocorals and sponges, http://coralpedia.bio.warwick.ac.uk/ Scolymia lacera (small), Scolymia wellsi (small), were taken from Neogene Marine Biota of TropicalAmerica(NMiTA),http://eusmilia.geology.uiowa.edu/index.htm Madracis asperula (big)fromwww.cabocanarias.com (PhotobyPhilippeGuillaume). Phyllangia americana (small)fromwww.reefsanctuary.com;(big)fromwww.thereeftank.com

    AFieldIdentificationGuidetoHardCoralsofBocasdelToroArchipelago,Panama

    BRANCHING / PILLAR CORALS


    Acropora cervicornis Staghorn Coral
    Arborescent,with cylindricalbranches; axialcorallitesare distinctive

    Acropora palmata Elkhorn Coral


    Brancheshorizontally flattened;corallitesare tubularandirregularin length

    Acropora prolifera Fused Staghorn Coral


    Hybridbetween bothAcropora species,branching, manytoppolyps

    Madracis asperula Pointed Pencil Coral


    Coloniesofclumpsof finetwistedbranches; primarily azooxanthellate species

    Madracis decactis Ten-Ray Star Coral


    Coloniesarelowand encrustingwithshort stumpynodulesand shortbranches

    Madracis mirabilis Yellow Pencil Coral


    Coloniesarebranching withdenselypacked finderswithrounded, blunttips

    Oculina diffusa Ivory Bush Coral


    Clumpsofthickbranches withlargeraised corallites,often encrustedandentangled withotherorganisms

    Porites divaricata Thin Finger Coral


    Branchesareslender (<1cm)andwidely spaced,oftendivided attheirtips;with tissueatthebase

    P.divaricata

    P.porites

    Porites furcata Branched Finger Coral


    Intermediatewidth(1 2cm)tightly,compact andfingerlikebranches withroundedtip; extensivecolonieswith deadbasalparts

    Porites porites Finger Coral


    Thickbranches,stubby withenlargedblunttips, coveredwithcorallites onthedistaltips; colonieswithdeadbasal parts

    ByR.CarballoBolaos,J.Seemann,C.T.Gonzalez(2012)

    AFieldIdentificationGuidetoHardCoralsofBocasdelToroArchipelago,Panama

    LEAF / PLATE / SHEET


    Agaricia agaricites Lettuce Coral
    Amixtureofencrusting sheets,thickleavesand flatplates.Alsoknownas A.danai orA.purpurea

    Agaricia fragilis Fragile Saucer Coral


    Leafycoralsformplatesor bowlswithconcentric ridgeswithlongvalleys; corallitesonlyontopside ofcolony

    Agaricia grahamae Grahams Sheet Coral


    Leafy,similartoA. fragilis,butsurfacewith smootherappearance andcorallitesarelarger andwidelyspaced

    Agaricia humilis Low Relie Lettuce Coral


    Formsmall,rounded, massiveshapedcolonies, manyencrusting;rowsof corallitesareseparatedby pointedandtallerridges

    Agaricia lamarcki Whitestar Sheet Coral


    Thickonesidedplates arrangeinwhorls;white starfishshapedpolyps, contrastingwiththe brownroundedridges

    Agaricia tenuifolia Thin Leaf Lettuce Coral


    Thinuprightbifacial blades;margins contorted,elongate anddividedirregularly

    Agaricia undata Scroll Coral


    Foundindeepwater, flatorspreading plates;ridgessquares notroundedor pointed

    Leptoseris cucullata Sunray Lettuce Coral


    Leafy,usuallysingle whorl,bigcalices stronglyinclined outwardstowardsthe edgeoftheplace

    Mycetophyllia reesi Ridgeless Cactus Coral


    Thinlaminae, conformingtheshape ofthesubstrate, attachedcentrallyor ataside

    Porites colonensis Hump Coral


    Thinplateswithsmall attachmentarea, smoothsurface,like honeycombstructure

    ByR.CarballoBolaos,J.Seemann,C.T.Gonzalez(2012)

    AFieldIdentificationGuidetoHardCoralsofBocasdelToroArchipelago,Panama

    MASSIVE / ENCRUSTING CORALS


    Montastraea annularis Lobed Star Coral
    Coloniesofclosely packed,separate nodulesorcolumns; edgescommonlynot growing

    Montastraea cavernosa Great Star Coral


    Coloniesforming bouldersordomes,or flatplates,distinctfleshy andouties polyps

    Montastraea faveolata Mountainous Star Coral


    Largecoloniesand surfacesupportsmall, upwardmoundsand projections

    Montastraea franksi Boulder Star Coral


    Coloniesusuallydeeper than10m,surfacewith scatteredlumps, consistingofenlargedor protrudingpolyps,often pale

    Madracis pharensis Encrusting Star Coral


    Encrustingornodular, corallitescompactand slightlypolygonalin outline;zooxanthellaete formcalledluciphylla

    Porites asteroides Mustard Hill Coral


    Coloniesmassiveor encrusting,surfaceusually lumpyornodular,small corallitesareevenly distributed

    Siderastrea radians Lesser Starlet Coral


    Encrustingcoloniesand formfreelivingmobile balls,corallitescentres aresunken

    Siderastrea siderea Massive Starlet Coral


    Largecoloniesgrowas domesorrounded heads;corallites innies orsunken

    Solenastrea bournoni Smooth Star Coral


    Smallandinconspicuous domes,smoothorwith bumps;coralliteswith darkercentres

    Solenastrea hyades Knobby Star Coral


    Submassive colonies,with irregularupgrowths; corallitesmaybe irregularlyspaced

    ByR.CarballoBolaos,J.Seemann,C.T.Gonzalez(2012)

    AFieldIdentificationGuidetoHardCoralsofBocasdelToroArchipelago,Panama Stephanacoenia intersepta Blushing Star Coral


    Flattenedhemispheres withregularsmooth surfaces;corallitessmall andthewallbetween themrelativelywide

    MEANDROID / BRAIN CORALS


    Colpophyllia breviserialis Closed-valley BrainCoral
    SimilartoColpophyllia natans withshorter andclosedvalleysand evensinglecentres

    Colpophyllia natans Boulder Brain coral


    Largecolonies,ridges expanddistinctlymidway tothegroove;valleysand wallsarebroadandmay be2cmwide

    Diploria clivosa Knobby Brain Coral


    Domedorencrusting, withprotrudingknobs, ridgesrisesharplyand arenotgrooved,broad valleys

    Diploria labyrinthiformis Grooved Brain Coral


    Deep,narrow,polyp bearingvalleysthatare separatedbygrooved ridges(doublevalley), valleysareoften interconnected

    Diploria strigosa Symmetrical Brain Coral


    Coloniessmoothly domed,ridgesare roundedandnotgrooved, valleysarebroadand long

    Manicina areolata Rose Coral


    Small(<10cm)free livingcolonies,with broadanddeep valleys

    Meandrina meandrites Maze Coral


    Valleysradiatefrom originalpointofgrowth dividingatregular intervalswithconstant width;singleseptaatthe topofvalleys

    Meandrina brasiliensis Brazilian Rose Coral


    Coloniesmostlyfree living,andconsistofone orfewvalleysradiating fromtheoriginalpointof growth;septain2 alternatingorders

    ByR.CarballoBolaos,J.Seemann,C.T.Gonzalez(2012)

    AFieldIdentificationGuidetoHardCoralsofBocasdelToroArchipelago,Panama

    FLOWERING / FLESHY
    Dichocoenia stockesi Elliptical Star Coral
    Ovalelongatedcorallites, almostmeandroid before dividing,wellseparated fromeachotherand surfacebetweenthemis granular

    Eusmilia fastigiata Smooth Flower Coral


    Clumpsoftubular corallites,eachwith1to3 centres thatareroundto ovalinshape

    Favia fragum Golfball Coral


    Coloniessmall,rounded andlikeagolfball;large corallitesthatdonot protrude

    Phyllangia americana Hidden cup coral


    Smallgroupofindividual polyps(11.5cm), azooxanthellate species

    Isophyllastrea rigida Rough Star Coral


    Smallhemispherical domeswithfleshyridges andirregularclosed, polygonalvalleyeach withoneortwopolyps

    Isophyllia sinuosa Sinuous Cactus Coral


    Smalldomeswith convolutedveryfleshy ridges,narrow convolutedvalleys

    Mycetophyllia aliciae Knobby Cactus Coral


    Flatorconvexplateswith ridgesalongtheboarders, centralpartshavenoclear valleysandridges

    Mycetophyllia danaena Lowridge Cactus Coral


    Valleysandridgesare deepandnarrow,long andmeandering;colonies arethickerandchunky thanothermembersof thegenus

    Mycetophyllia ferox Rough Cactus Coral


    Welldevelopedvalleys, coveringtheentire surface;thewallsofthe valleysjointoformclosed valleys,arethinand irregular

    Mycetophyllia lamarckiana Ridged Cactus Coral


    Meandroid withridges alloverthecolony surface;valleysarewide andshallow

    ByR.CarballoBolaos,J.Seemann,C.T.Gonzalez(2012)

    AFieldIdentificationGuidetoHardCoralsofBocasdelToroArchipelago,Panama Mussa angulosa Spiny Flower Coral


    Large,fleshypolyps,they areseparatedfromthe others;corallite diameter 47cm,septawithlarge prominentteeth

    Scolymia cubensis Artichoke Coral


    Solitarycorallites,3 10cm,withmussid spinesvisiblethrough thefleshytissue

    Scolymia wellsi Solitary Disk Coral


    Solitarycorallites,15 cm,smaller,spikier thanS.Cubensis

    Scolymia lacera Atlantic Mushroom Coral


    Largersizeandmore fleshythanS.cubensis; coralwithlargerpolyps

    CLASS HYDROZOA / FIRE CORALS


    Millepora alcicornis Branching Fire Coral
    Slenderandhighly branchingspecies, commonlyencrustedin seafans orseawhips

    Millepora complanata Blade Fire Coral


    Upwardprojecting platelikebranches, arisingfroman encrustingbase

    Millepora squarrosa Box Fire Coral


    Massive,encrustingor lumpyspeciesw/o branches;thickwalled, boxshapedstructures orinclusions

    Millepora striata Fire Coral


    Delicatelybranching species,formingcolonies ofalmostlacyfronds, triangularorboxshaped crosssectionswithridges

    Stylaster roseus Rose Lace Coral


    Smallpinkorwhite colonies,resembling smallseafans commonlyhanging downfromoverhangs

    ByR.CarballoBolaos,J.Seemann,C.T.Gonzalez(2012)

    You might also like