this is a Cespitularia, right?

Patwa · May 16, 2007

I always thought it was a cespitularia, but after about an hour of finagling with my camera and lighting, I could not seem to get a pic of the sclerites (the little shards of calcium that are found within the tissue of this coral - those same shards are what gives Cespitularia the iridescent appearance under certain lighting conditions).

at this point, the only thing i'm 100% sure of is that it is a Xeniid of some sort...and since it's polyps do not retract into the body, I was told it must be a Cespitularia

plus, it does not match any pic of a blue xenia that I can find on the web....all the blue xenia i can find are actually a very light blue or have a mix of blue and green....this one is more purple, and the polyps are beige

can anyone shed any light on this for me?

anyone seen this exact coral before?

oh yeah...i'm calling this baby "Electric Indigo", after one of my favourite DJs

here's an older pic

Zach

Randy · May 16, 2007

Try to turn out the lights and take a pic with flash only you should see the sclerites that way.

Patwa · May 16, 2007

thanks mate..will try that method later tonight

Azurel · May 16, 2007

Either way that is pretty Zach....

edwing206 · May 16, 2007

Very cool coral. I want some, too bad you live in Canada.

impur · May 16, 2007

I am not a fan of Xenia. But i would not mind for a second to have a frag of that.

Marine Flora · May 16, 2007

sharp looking xenia =)

Ike · May 16, 2007

Cespitularia spp. have very small sclerites, especially with a young colorful specimen they would be pretty hard to see.

efishnsea · May 16, 2007

wow Very Nice Where Did You Get It!!!!

chads29 · May 16, 2007

yes i have seen it before and the color varies under different lighting... Very nice piece! I have heard it was a very delicate coral. Good Luck

Sea MunnKey · May 17, 2007

That is a Beauty Zach. So...errrr...when can I get my Frag of the "Electric Indigo" Blue Xenia dude...since we're in the neighbourhood?

Paul

Patwa · May 18, 2007

hey guys...sorry it took so long to get a flash-only shot.....but here it is......still no visible sclerites....bah!

for those wanting to know, I got it from a buddy who got it from somewhere in the US

Zach

Azurel · May 18, 2007

I think it might actually be prettier then Cespit......

Patwa · Sep 25, 2007

just an update.....I think i've got a firm ID on it.....from what i've found on the web, I now believe this coral came from waters in and around the Philippine archipelago

Here are two candidates, both with dive info saying it's a Philippine coral

cespitularia sp.
http://www.poppe-images.com/images/image_info.php?picid=902892

efflatounaria sp.
http://www.poppe-images.com/images/image_info.php?picid=921660

(FWIW, i'll put my money on it being an efflatounaria more than a cespitulara)

any thoughts!?

Zach

revhtree · Sep 25, 2007

Yea, I think I love it!

Reef Goddess · Sep 25, 2007

Short of being a scientist and disecting it, its a pretty tough call. Looks a lot like cesp to me.

gflat65 · Sep 25, 2007

I thought that coral was beautiful the first time I saw it

. Nice piece, Zach.

Patwa · Sep 25, 2007

Reef Goddess said:
Short of being a scientist and disecting it, its a pretty tough call. Looks a lot like cesp to me.

can't be a cesp in the same way the 'blue/African xenia' is...it doesn't have the spicules embedded in the tissue that give it the true trademark cespitularia iridescence....it's completely absent from this coral.....i've looked high and low, with flashlight, camera flash, lights, no lights, sunlight, etc..

here's Calfo's article....might have to register to read it
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5265&highlight=cespitularia

i say it's a efflatounaria based on that picture from that site...but, ime, that site has amazing pics, but the identification leaves nothing to be desired...i've seen a few flaws here and there....lol!

only thing I know for sure is that it is a xeniid of some sort... and i love it

gflat65 said:
I thought that coral was beautiful the first time I saw it. Nice piece, Zach.

thanks

Zach

workn4frags · Oct 4, 2007

I've been growing E. African Cespitularia for a few yrs. now and what you have looks like the strain coming in from Bali, I have seen alot of the Bali strain and it is devoid of the sclerites that sparkle like the E. African strain. Don't know anyone that has seen the sclerites start to form on that strain. Anyone know?

I also have some Efflatunaria which was yellow with bright purple polyps reverse from your first photo. It has since gone brown under some new T5 bulbs. I am in the process of re-acclimating it to halides and after a month now it is starting get some of its color back. The growth pattern of Efflatunaria is very similar to Cespitularia when young, but my colony is larger and looks very similar to a colt. I will post pics when the colors come back.

Nice piece either way =)

mkman · Oct 4, 2007

I agree that its probably a cesp. A guy over on RC that i know has some that look like yours a bit and he mentioned his is devoid of any sclerites that sparkle.

Your piece is awesome but it would be even crazier if it showed some glitters