Another hitchhiker ID

[bct15]

Cyphastrea will have septa in the colallites that will extend from the surface. Then a polyp usually of equal size rises from that corallite.



Montipora will be a immersed corallites with a polyp coming out. They can be bigger.



A Pokerstar Montipora is call that because of the orange center of the polyp with a green skirt, making it look like a poker chip.

With that being said it is probably a pokerstar morph of some kind then, I'm still going to check out a cyphastra this weekend but if the poker star has orange center green outside polyps then that describes this perfectly. How do you know these things? Do you research stony corals or something, you are always so spot on with the IDs of SPS.

 

[Frick]

The Pokerstar Montipora was a named coral, so technically Pokerstar is the morph of a Montipora species. Which one exactly IDK. I heard it originated from good ol' Tyree and was called "Tyrees Pokerstar Montipora Danae" but i have no references on that, just what people were calling it. Mine or any other i have seen look nothing like M. danae. So either there was a big mix up down the line, or it was poorly IDed in the first place. Happens.
Corals of the World Factsheet and images - Montipora danae
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/sps-identification-database/101761-tyree-pokerstars-monti.html

As for me i am just your friendly SPS ID subforum troll. LOL I like to get involved in these type of threads because i get to learn too. :hat: