Identifying AGRRA Corals Part 4 Branching Corals K

Identifying AGRRA Corals: Part 4 Branching Corals © K. Marks Judith Lang and Kenneth Marks Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program Revision: 2012 -03 -09 www. agrra. org

The following images are Copyright © by New World Publications and by other photographers. Permission is granted to use the photographs and slides in this presentation with the AGRRA Program and, with attribution, for other valid educational purposes. . All other uses are strictly prohibited. For images used in Part 4, our special thanks to: K. Desai, P. Humann, W. Precht, C. Rogers, R. Steneck, M. Vermeij, E. Weil, A. Yniguez

Reminder: What to Look for Underwater Colony shape – massive (= mound, columnar, heavy plates), crust, plate, branching Colony size range – small to big Colony surface – bumpy, smooth, ridged Polyp size – small to big Polyp shape – round, elliptical, irregular, Y-shaped, meandroid (= short or long ridges and valleys) Polyp colour – brown, tan, yellow, olive, green, red Septal shape – fat, thin; smooth, toothed Adapted from P. R. Kramer

Reminder: AGRRA Coral Species The stony corals illustrated here are limited to species that are found in the wider Caribbean at depths (<20 m) that are typical of most AGRRA surveys. The names of some corals are changing as a result of modern research. Expect updates! For each species: (number in m and ft = maximum colony size)

Reminder: Coding Corals in AGRRA Surveys Use the CARICOMP-based coral codes. The coral code for a genus is the first 4 letters of its genus name. ACRO = Acropora Use the genus code whenever you are unsure of a coral’s species identity. The coral code for a species is the first letter of the genus name followed by the first 3 letters of its species name. APAL = Acropora palmata

Colony Boundaries in Branching Corals Branching corals are easily broken and scattered, thus colony boundaries are often indistinct. © C. Rogers P. porites PPOR © C. Rogers © E. Weil A. palmata APAL M. auretenra MAUR

Porites porites PPOR thick (>2 cm), branches, many with blunt tips PPOR elongate polyps often expand during the day light grey, cream, yellowbrown or blue © R. Steneck PPOR © K. Marks

Porites porites PPOR polyps are alive only near the branch tips in large colonies (clumps to > 2 m/6 ft wide) © K. Marks © K. Desai

Porites furcata PFUR long, ~1 -2 cm wide, “finger-like” branches, many with rounded tips PFUR grey, tan or brown (clumps to > 2 m/6 ft wide) © K. Marks PFUR © K. Marks

Porites furcata PFUR How differs from Porites porites: branches are thinner, longer, more widely spaced, with more rounded tips often darker colours (these are pale from bleaching) © K. Marks

Which is Which? © E. Weil P. porites PPOR P. furcata PFUR

Porites divaricata PDIV thin (<1 cm), short, widely-spaced branches, many subdivided near tip (“Y-shaped”) PDIV grey, yellow-brown to brown (clumps to ~ 30 cm/1 ft wide) © C. Rogers

Porites divaricata PDIV How differs from Porites furcata: thinner, shorter, more widely-spaced branches, more often divided at tips PDIV PFUR smaller colonies rare on fore reefs © E. Weil

Which is Which? © E. Weil © K. Marks P. divaricata PDIV © E. Weil P. porites PPOR P. furcata PFUR

Complications! Some colonies look like “intermediates” of P. porites and P. furcata or of P. furcata and P. divaricata If unsure of species identity, code as Porites “digitate” PDIG

Madracis auretenra MAUR thin, fragile, near-parallel, and densely packed branches with blunt tips MAUR* polyps often expanded by day (look “fuzzy”) cream, yellow or yellow-brown (usually to ~ 1. 5 m/5 ft) © K. Marks MAUR* *formerly called M. mirabilis, described as a new species by Locke et al. (2007) © K. Marks

Madracis auretenra MAUR clumps many meters/10 s of feet wide occur in sheltered habitats © R. Steneck

Which is Which? © E. Weil M. auretenra MAUR (pale yellow) P. porites PPOR (light grey)

Madracis decactis MDEC short, stubby knobs, crusts, lumpy crusts or short nodules MDEC distinct polyps, with conspicuous septa (usually 10/polyp) green, tan, grey, yellow-brown or dark brown (to ~ 15 cm/6 in) MDEC © P. Humann

Madracis decactis MDEC How knobby morph differs from Madracis auretenra: forms stubby knobs, not branches darker colours © M. Vermeij

Madracis decactis MDEC How knobby morph differs from Porites porites: forms stubby knobs, not branches septa are distinct (can be counted underwater) darker colours © K. Marks

Which is Which? © K. Marks M. decactis MDEC P. porites PPOR

Which is Which? © R. Steneck M. auretenra MAUR M. decactis MDEC

Madracis carmabi MCAR and Madracis formosa MFOR Both have thick branches with blunt tips MCAR MFOR © M. Vermeij 10 septa/polyp, perhaps a hybrid of M. formosa and M. decactis or M. pharensis (Frade et al. 2010) © M. Vermeij 8 septa/polyp (to ~ 2 m/6 ft)

Madracis carmabi MCAR and Madracis formosa MFOR Code as MADR if unsure of species identity How differ from M. decactis: thick, near-parallel branches, with flattened tips + from M. auretenra: thicker, more widely spaced branches © E. Weil Madracis formosa MFOR

Which is Which? © P. Humann M. formosa/ M. carmabi MADR © K. Marks M. auretenra MAUR © K. Marks M. decactis MDEC

Oculina diffusa ODIF short, somewhat twisted branches with large, distinct polyps ODIF yellow-brown, or may lack zooxanthellae (to ~ 30 cm/1 ft) © K. Marks ODIF © C. Rogers ODIF © K. Marks

Oculina diffusa ODIF How differs from Madracis auretenra: polyps are larger and more exert (protrude more above the skeleton) © P. Humann © K. Marks

Which is Which? © K. Marks M. auretenra MAUR O. diffusa ODIF

Acropora ACRO All species: tiny (axial) polyps at the tips of actively growing branches are colourless (look white) lateral (radial) polyps are brown or yellow-brown (contain zooxanthellae) © K. Marks Acropora palmata © K. Marks Acropora cervicornis

Acropora palmata APAL large branches, cylindrical where exposed to waves can form large colonies (to ~ 4 m/12 ft) APAL © C. Rogers

Acropora palmata APAL branches flatten in calm water © W. Precht © K. Marks

Acropora cervicornis ACER long, slender (1 -3 cm), round branches (to ~ 3 m/10

Acropora cervicornis ACER can form very large clumps © C. Rogers

Acropora prolifera APRO a hybrid of A. palmata and A. cervicornis branches (0. 5 -2 cm wide) look like “intermediates” between those of A. palmata and of A. cervicornis APRO (to ~ 1. 5 m/5 ft) © K. Marks

Acropora prolifera APRO How “palmate” form differs from A. palmata: short branches don’t fuse into large thick masses smaller colonies © A. Yniguez

Acropora prolifera APRO How bushy form differs from A. cervicornis: branches are closer together, sometimes narrower, and more likely to have a horizontal orientation © K. Marks

Which is Which? © C. Rogers © A. Yniguez © C. Rogers A. prolifera

Millepora spp. MILL How Millepora differs from the scleractinian stony corals: tiny polyps armed with stinging tentacles that protrude from the small pores visible in colony surfaces © K. Marks Millepora complanata

Millepora complanata MCOM narrow, upright lobes above an encrusting base MCOM yellow to tan (to ~ 60 cm/2 ft) © K. Marks MCOM © K. Marks

Millepora complanata MCOM A distinctive form of MCOM with short blades that often split to form narrow “boxes” is classified by some as Millepora striata (MSTR). © K. Marks

Millepora squarrosa MSQU short, box-like structures with thick walls, blunt tips above an encrusting base tan to yellow-brown with characteristic reddish, pinkish or lavendar tints MSQU © C. Sheppard (to ~ 5 cm/2 in) MSQU © C. Sheppard