What kind of torch is this? Or is something else?

[GP0801]

Hi guys, got this coral for Christmas and I've been trying to research to find out exactly what kind of torch coral this is. It was sold to my fiance as a torch but during my research I came across Cristatas and was wondering if it may be that instead but I'm not totally convinced it is. I attached pictures of it fully open and fully retracted after I dosed some phosphates (doesn't seem to like that but opens right back up in 10 to 20 minutes). Thanks.

 

[Lavey29]

Not sure but like the cool yellow color. Do the tentacles extend out further which is typical of most torches?

 

[GP0801]

Nope that's as extended as I've ever seen it. Here's the WYSIWYG picture of it. I absolutely love the look of it though, just wish I knew what it was exactly.

 

[Jfeldman63]

Looks like a. Aussie hg

 

[GP0801]

Looks like a. Aussie hg

Interesting, it does kind of look like one minus the green mouth and shorter tentacles.

 

[Stuartmercer]

Ah so a fellow @Fragbox Corals buyer... love the store. I just did a big order during boxing day so it I'm excited to work on my zoa garden after my tank crash. Also yes that's a torch, most likely Australian(?)

 

[GP0801]

Ah so a fellow @Fragbox Corals buyer... love the store. I just did a big order during boxing day so it I'm excited to work on my zoa garden after my tank crash. Also yes that's a torch, most likely Australian(?)

Haha yeah I love the place, we actually stopped by on Christmas and I asked if I could see the fancy torches in person. I guess my fiance noticed how much I liked it so she bought it for me on the spot.

I assumed it was Aussie but didn't seem to come across anything this stubby. Maybe it'll extend a little more with time.

 

[Stuartmercer]

Haha yeah I love the place, we actually stopped by on Christmas and I asked if I could see the fancy torches in person. I guess my fiance noticed how much I liked it so she bought it for me on the spot.

I assumed it was Aussie but didn't seem to come across anything this stubby. Maybe it'll extend a little more with time.

some torches extend with long tentacles while others don't. Based on the picture from the website I doubt it'll extend much more than what yours has already. Beautiful piece btw.

 

[GP0801]

some torches extend with long tentacles while others don't. Based on the picture from the website I doubt it'll extend much more than what yours has already. Beautiful piece btw.

Yeah I noticed the aussies do tend to be shorter, I have a few indos that are definitely more extended by comparison. Thanks for the compliment, I think it's my favorite coral in the tank.

 

[MaxTremors]

Looks like a cristata, which is a short tentacled torch. I could be mistaken, but I think these were classified with hammers and frogspawns into Fimbriaphyllia, with E. glabrescens (the normal torch) being the only species left in Euphyllia (there some confusion about whether Cristata was reclassified, it’s sometimes been called E. paraglabrescens, and the scientific literature on the reclassification isn’t explicitly clear if that’s the same species). Apparently E. glabrescens is more closely related to galaxea than it is to all of the species that used to be in Euphyllia (hammers, frogspawns, etc). They used to be classified based on corallite structure but now, after DNA analysis and studying their breeding habits, E. glabrescens is the only species out all of the previously Euphyllia species that is a hermaphroditic brooder and all of the other formerly Euphyllia species are gonochoric broadcast spawners. Which explains why a lot of reefers have found baby torches growing in their tanks but never any of the other species. Anyway, way more information than you were probably asking for, lol.

 

[GP0801]

Looks like a cristata, which is a short tentacled torch. I could be mistaken, but I think these were classified with hammers and frogspawns into Fimbriaphyllia, with E. glabrescens (the normal torch) being the only species left in Euphyllia (there some confusion about whether Cristata was reclassified, it’s sometimes been called E. paraglabrescens, and the scientific literature on the reclassification isn’t explicitly clear if that’s the same species). Apparently E. glabrescens is more closely related to galaxea than it is to all of the species that used to be in Euphyllia (hammers, frogspawns, etc). They used to be classified based on corallite structure but now, after DNA analysis and studying their breeding habits, E. glabrescens is the only species out all of the previously Euphyllia species that is a hermaphroditic brooder and all of the other formerly Euphyllia species are gonochoric broadcast spawners. Which explains why a lot of reefers have found baby torches growing in their tanks but never any of the other species. Anyway, way more information than you were probably asking for, lol.

The thing that makes me question whether it's a cristata or not is the fact that apparently they always have a visible "septa" even when inflated. From my understanding that's basically just an enlarged thick skeleton plate that is bigger than regular torches have but in the retracted picture I don't feel like there is any indication of those types of skeleton plates. Haha I don't mind the extra information though, pretty interesting.

 

[GP0801]

Looks like a. Aussie hg

Well I was watching it closely just now and as it was hit with some flow I noticed it actually does have a very bright green mouth, same as this image of the aussie HG. It's just got shorter tentacles for now.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Looks like a cristata, which is a short tentacled torch. I could be mistaken, but I think these were classified with hammers and frogspawns into Fimbriaphyllia, with E. glabrescens (the normal torch) being the only species left in Euphyllia (there some confusion about whether Cristata was reclassified, it’s sometimes been called E. paraglabrescens, and the scientific literature on the reclassification isn’t explicitly clear if that’s the same species). Apparently E. glabrescens is more closely related to galaxea than it is to all of the species that used to be in Euphyllia (hammers, frogspawns, etc). They used to be classified based on corallite structure but now, after DNA analysis and studying their breeding habits, E. glabrescens is the only species out all of the previously Euphyllia species that is a hermaphroditic brooder and all of the other formerly Euphyllia species are gonochoric broadcast spawners. Which explains why a lot of reefers have found baby torches growing in their tanks but never any of the other species. Anyway, way more information than you were probably asking for, lol.

Looking at the picture of it deflated, I don't see any Septa protruding which would immediately say E. glab to me.

Just looks like a pretty Aussie yellow torch.

 

[Goaway]

I sadly see protruding septa. I have to say cristata.

This one is splitting into 3 heads. I never seen these on torch skeletons, maybe 1 or 2 large septa per head. But never more than that.

 

[MaxTremors]

Looking at the picture of it deflated, I don't see any Septa protruding which would immediately say E. glab to me.

Just looks like a pretty Aussie yellow torch.

Do you mean cristata? E. glabrescens is the normal torch.

I don’t know, in the first photo, I can see some protruding septa, they are definitely not all uniform like they are in the photos of E. glabrescens’s corallites on Corals of the World. The septa in the photo, to my eye, look closer to the example of the cristata in the following link than they do to glabrescens. But who knows, it can be really difficult to properly identify corals that don’t perfectly adhere to the taxonomic examples in the literature/databases.

Fig. 3. Polyps and corallites of Euphylliidae corals. (a, b) Euphyllia...

Download scientific diagram | Polyps and corallites of Euphylliidae corals. (a, b) Euphyllia ancora, (c, d) E. divisa, (e, f) E. cristata, (g, h) E. glabrescens, (i, j) Plerogyra sinuosa, (k, l) Physogyra lichtensteini. from publication: Taxonomic status of Euphylliidae corals in Peninsular...

www.researchgate.net

 

[Goaway]

Nope that's as extended as I've ever seen it. Here's the WYSIWYG picture of it. I absolutely love the look of it though, just wish I knew what it was exactly.

If it doesn't extent much more than this, Cristata. Even a malaysia gold will have longer extension, shorter than an aussie however.

GL to you. Hopefully I am wrong here.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Do you mean cristata? E. glabrescens is the normal torch.

I don’t know, in the first photo, I can see some protruding septa, they are definitely not all uniform like they are in the photos of E. glabrescens’s corallites on Corals of the World. The septa in the photo, to my eye, look closer to the example of the cristata in the following link than they do to glabrescens. But who knows, it can be really difficult to properly identify corals that don’t perfectly adhere to the taxonomic examples in the literature/databases.

Fig. 3. Polyps and corallites of Euphylliidae corals. (a, b) Euphyllia...

Download scientific diagram | Polyps and corallites of Euphylliidae corals. (a, b) Euphyllia ancora, (c, d) E. divisa, (e, f) E. cristata, (g, h) E. glabrescens, (i, j) Plerogyra sinuosa, (k, l) Physogyra lichtensteini. from publication: Taxonomic status of Euphylliidae corals in Peninsular...

www.researchgate.net

No. I mean it is a normal torch.

Doesn't have any of the normal attributes associated with cristata.

 

[MaxTremors]

No. I mean it is a normal torch.

Doesn't have any of the normal attributes associated with cristata.

Sorry, I misread your previous post. It does clearly have protruding septa, though. E. glabrescens has completely uniform septa. If it is an E. glabrescens it’s got some aberrant or weirdly formed septa.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I sadly see protruding septa. I have to say cristata.

This one is splitting into 3 heads. I never seen these on torch skeletons, maybe 1 or 2 large septa per head. But never more than that.

I'll grab a pic of my (bjd die off) gold Masters torch when I'm back home. I believe it's septa were at least double this.

@MaxTremors could definitely be either one. I'm used to seeing the septa protrude more towards the center of actual Cristata.

@GP0801 it's pretty and cristata are often sold as torches in shops. It's unfortunate but in cases like this, understandable.

 

[Goaway]

I'll grab a pic of my (bjd die off) gold Masters torch when I'm back home. I believe it's septa were at least double this.

@MaxTremors could definitely be either one. I'm used to seeing the septa protrude more towards the center of actual Cristata.

It can be a tough call. Also, extension is going to decide a lot. Cristata just dont extend like any torch sp. The angle of his pics could be creating the depth of septa protrusions.

My long dead indo.