Bowerbanki on a Stem?

[Nano sapiens]

Ok, so here's one that has me scratching my head. Backstory is I bought a small 3/4" perfectly round LPS as an 'Acan'. However, upon closer inspection, umm, don't think so.

Here it is now at 1" diameter, still perfectly round, with 'outer white stripes' visible and no baby buds even though it's fed 2-3x week (sorry for the blurr, it's in a tough spot to photograph well):

Odd things about it:

1. The head is on a 1" high stem, like a young Caulastrea or B. merletti would be
2. The central disk has green splashes with the outer rim a near solid orange, like a Bowerbanki often does
3. The tissue is 'pimply' and identical in texture to an Aussie Lord
4. It has regularly spaced 'outer white stripes' similar to a Lord, but not quite as pronounced
5. My Lords typically bud very quickly if fed regularly, but this one is just growing bigger and fatter
6. It had a minor mesenterial fight with the larger neighboring Boweranki and is now causing it to retract where they currently touch (so it's slightly dominant).

Normally I'd call it a baby Bowerbanki and call it a day, but being a Mussid one would expect it to grow flat'ish...and not be on a 'stem'.

What say you all?

 

[ChiCity]

that’s not a bowerbanki,
that’s just a regular red acan
that’s reaching for light

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not a bowerbanki or regular acan but rather - pineapple acan enchinata

 

[OldSchool Reefer]

What say you all?

It’s a Lord! Give it time, it will bud.

 

[James M]

Acan !

 

[Nano sapiens]

Ok, so here's one that has me scratching my head. Backstory is I bought a small 3/4" perfectly round LPS as an 'Acan'. However, upon closer inspection, umm, don't think so.

Here it is now at 1" diameter, still perfectly round, with 'outer white stripes' visible and no baby buds even though it's fed 2-3x week (sorry for the blurr, it's in a tough spot to photograph well):

Odd things about it:

1. The head is on a 1" high stem, like a young Caulastrea or B. merletti would be
2. The central disk has green splashes with the outer rim a near solid orange, like a Bowerbanki often does
3. The tissue is 'pimply' and identical in texture to an Aussie Lord
4. It has regularly spaced 'outer white stripes' similar to a Lord, but not quite as pronounced
5. My Lords typically bud very quickly if fed regularly, but this one is just growing bigger and fatter
6. It had a minor mesenterial fight with the larger neighboring Boweranki and is now causing it to retract where they currently touch (so it's slightly dominant).

Normally I'd call it a baby Bowerbanki and call it a day, but being a Mussid one would expect it to grow flat'ish...and not be on a 'stem'.

What say you all?

Great guesses!

This is the typical Micromussa (previously 'Acanthastrea') lordhowensis 'cerioid' skeleton:

...and this is the skeleton of an Acanthastrea echinata:

I have never seen a branching form of a Mussid (Lord, Echinata, Bowerbanki, etc.), so that's why this one is strange.

Almost makes me wonder if the LFS glued an Acan head onto a Candycane stem and then called it a day (although I can't see any evidence of this).

Alternatively, maybe they cut this polyp out of a 1" thick lord skeleton in such a perfect way that it looks like a naturally grown stem...

Hmm...

 

[James M]

It’s definitely an acan but at the end of the day it’s your coral if you want to call it a Bowerbanki then call it a Bowerbanki

 

[Nano sapiens]

It’s definitely an acan but at the end of the day it’s your coral if you want to call it a Bowerbanki then call it a Bowerbanki

Interesting response, thanks for chiming in

I've put this out there as 'Bowerbanki on a stem?'...with a question mark (could have said 'Acan on a Stem?', too), since there is no Micromussa or Acanthastrea species that I know of that grows on a stem.

As I mentioned earlier, could just be that the person cutting up a M. lord colony did a super clean job of cutting this polyp out of a 1" thick skeleton.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Just for fun, an updated photo next to one of my acan colonies (still a single polyp , 1-1/2" wide and turns into a ball of tentacles at night):

Hmm, Button Scoly???

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I thought acans were renamed as bowerbanki?

 

[Steve and his Animals]

Just for fun, an updated photo next to one of my acan colonies (still a single polyp , 1-1/2" wide and turns into a ball of tentacles at night):

Hmm, Button Scoly???

The color of the center and the fact that you said it's just getting bigger leads me to guess it's a type of scoly (although I'm pretty sure I heard they reclassified most of them) that you just got really tiny. Many of the scolies I've worked with have that characteristic green and orange coloration I'm seeing in the center. Also, the whole "ball of tentacles at night" bit is consistent with that as well.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I was thinking a baby scoly too. Just through description and the updated photo. Cool to see where and how this one grows out. Keep us updated. If it, golly I hope not, passes, we will get a good look at the skeleton.

Pretty though!

 

[Shirak]

Pretty! Still looks like an Acan lord to me. It looks branching as it was a single polyp cut from a thick colony. The skeleton on an an Acan colony can easily be an inch thick. You can tell it was cut by all the flat odd angled sides. If it was natural it would be round like the polyp.