Coral ID

[ACNaturalHistory]

I would love some help IDing this coral:

 

[mh0ward]

Maybe Blastomussa?

 

[ACNaturalHistory]

Maybe Blastomussa?

I was thinking that too. I know the picture isn't great—but the stalks of the polyps are fleshy. Is it normal for blastos (as an LPS) to have fleshy stalks like that, but a skeletal base that the entire colony grows out of?

 

[mh0ward]

No, blastos won’t have a fleshy stalk like that. Goniopora and alveopora do, but what you have pictured doesn’t really look like either of those to me. I’m not sure what you’ve got there.

 

[DJF]

+1 blastomussa merletti. I have seen stems like that on blastomussas. Not merlettis but I ticked these blastos off to confirm. It isn’t the best pic but you can see the polyp extending out and then up on the bottom.

 

[mh0ward]

Merlettis are what I have and I’ve never seen them extend like that! Makes me think I’m doing something wrong

 

[ACNaturalHistory]

+1 blastomussa merletti. I have seen stems like that on blastomussas. Not merlettis but I ticked these blastos off to confirm. It isn’t the best pic but you can see the polyp extending out and then up on the bottom.

Thank you for the input! I am glad to know someone else's blastos are similar haha