Heteroxenia?

[gflat65]

How many Xeniids out there have non retractile polyps? I think I found some Heteroxenia on an Aussie Prism Favia I got from Casey. The polyps do not retract, but tend to fold over on themselves. The stalk kinda looks like a toadstool with full Xenia polyps coming out of the top. I've got a top down, but nothing that shows the stalk. This one had to come from Aussieland, because I don't think Casey had anything besides Aussie corals in his tanks.

 

[Poseidon]

Looks like Anthelia to me....

 

[Elan]

You mean it doesnt pulse? I have blue Xenia that doesnt.

 

[rick van vladricken]

anthelia to me to

 

[gflat65]

Do Anthelia have a common stalk with polyps only on the top of the stalk? I'll get a full shot tomorrow.

 

[Poseidon]

Wait.... The white disc below the stalks is a common stalk? I thought it was rock, if so then NOT Anthelia.

 

[gflat65]

Here are some more. I decided to turn the lights back on beacuse I'm feeling prety strongly that it is not Anthelia. I'm really thinking this is Heteroxenia after scanning a few scientific articles on them (no pictures, just sketches of the polyps in different situations, etc.).

 

[gflat65]

By nonretractile, I meant the polyps do not retract into the coenenchyme.

I plan to cut some superficial tissue at some point and add some bleach so I can see the spicules. I read that Heteroxenia have round or oval spicules. Not sure of the size, though. When I get some bleach, I'm going to do this with all of my softies, too, so I can finally say Sinularia or Nephthea with some level of confidence. I'll post a thread when I get some bleach...

 

[TyreeUM]

I think they call that "pom pom" xenia

 

[Poseidon]

For sure NOT Anthelia. ;p

 

[gflat65]

I'm trying to start classifying softies where I can, since the information seems to be available to do so (Borneman on another forum). I'm hoping to settle the Sinularia/Nephthea argument (among what I have), too.

I ran into a collector at the Nashville swap (Meisen) that mentioed he was looking for true Heteroxenia because many that say they have Hetero are actually Xenia. He said he hasn't been able to locate actual Hetero. When I noticed that this stalk comes to a head like a toadstool, and the polyps come out of the head, it sounded like the descriptions I've found for heteroxenia (like a toadstool banged a xenia and had offspring, is how I've see it listed). I need to let this one get bigger, I guess, to see the true growth form, but I can pull superficial material and check the sclerites to get close, I think. Common names are rediculous if there is a way of fairly easily being able to narrow down to at least the Genus level. I'm a nerd, but I figure if I can classify for myself (to Genus, at least) based on sclerite structure, I should...