View Full Version : ID help please
VDub90
02-02-2005, 11:01 AM
Hey everyone, wonder if you could give me a hand with a few things. Here's a pic of the rock that the toadstool came on. What are some of these things? I'm more concerned with the thing that looks like aiptasia? There's quite a bit of it on the rock.
http://sites.vwsport.com/lezavw90/rock%20edit%201.JPG
mogurnda
02-02-2005, 11:08 AM
I see starfish arms on the left, and some kind of soft coral polyp on the right. Like maybe a kind of star polyp. That's based on the little branches on the tentacles, which are diagnostic of soft corals, and which anemones (like aiptasia) don't have. Do the tentacles really have little side branches, or am I seeing things?
corriewf
02-02-2005, 11:30 AM
Well you have brittle stars which are the legs coming out of the rock and the polyps are star polyps just not green.Btw, I see some sponges on the white side of the rock.
VDub90
02-02-2005, 11:58 AM
The legs definetly have branches. I have counted close to 15 of them on the rock (actually body count not legs). The white with black striped arms come in and out of the rock and move around. Good bang for the buck on that purchase!!
corriewf
02-02-2005, 1:22 PM
Yeah, those brittle stars only come out at night but return to their hole in the rock during the day.
VDub90
02-02-2005, 1:55 PM
I did a little looking around for brittle stars. From the coloring on the arms I am almost certain it's a Schayers star.