Coral Id?

[-_- ZM]

Can anyone help me ID this coral?

 

[blaxsun]

I like "Black Sun Coral". Even if it isn't it sounds cooler.

 

[encrustingacro]

If it’s not a Duncan I think it’s a “black sun coral”

I don't think it's any type of dendrophylliid, as the corallite structure doesn't look right for it. Most dendrophylliids have phaceloid or dendroid corallites, with no visible septa when the polyp is closed. Black sun corals (Tubastrea micranthus) may have green highlights on their tentacles, but will not have a fully orange or gold polyp. T. micranthus also has more tentacles than this coral, and is dendroid, while this coral is plocoid.

 

[Wasabiroot]

What are everyone's thoughts about Cyphastrea? Something like Cyphastrea agassizi or hexasepta? The exert septa, coenosteum, and placoid shape seem close? I wanted to say Leptastrea but that is ceroid.

 

[encrustingacro]

What are everyone's thoughts about Cyphastrea? Something like Cyphastrea agassizi or hexasepta? The exert septa, coenosteum, and placoid shape seem close? I wanted to say Leptastrea but that is ceroid.

Cyphastrea generally have smaller corallites and wouldn't have puffy polyps. Also, there are plocoid Leptastrea out there, such as L. bottae and inequealis, and L. purpurea and transversa can get suplocoid.

 

[Wasabiroot]

I did find this picture which is obviously not diagnostic, and there is still the issue of the orange polyps, and the above could have also been mislabeled...but this has certainly been an interesting specimen. I appreciate your knowledge @encrustingacro