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| zoanthids text index | photo index |
| Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Alcyonaria/Octocorallia > Order Zoanthinaria |
| Different
kinds of zoanthids How to tell apart some of them? updated Oct 08 |
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Sea
mat zoanthids
Palythoa tuberculosa |
Broad
zoanthids
Palythoa mutuki |
Button
zoanthids
Zoanthus sp. |
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At
low tide with tentacles retracted, looks like a rubbery mat.
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At
low tide with tentacles retracted, looks like a bunch of sausages.
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At
low tide with tentacles retracted, looks like little blobs of jelly.
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Polyps
embedded in
a common thick tissue mat. |
Polyps
on long body column, joined at the bases by underground stems.
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Polyps
on body column,
joined at bases by underground stems or a thin common tissue. |
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Colony
usually large: 20-40cm
may cover entire boulders and large areas of coral rubble. |
Colony
not as large: 5-10cm
among small stones and rubble. Fewer individual polyps. |
Colony
not as large: 10-15cm
among small stones and rubble. Many individual polyps. |
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Oral
disk broad
(1-2cm) |
Oral
disk broad (1-2cm) with
furrows radiating from the centre. |
Oral
disk not so broad (1cm)
and smooth. |
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The
oral disk is often concave especially at low tide.
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Central
mouth raised
above the oral disk. |
A
muscle around the central mouth makes the oral disk appear as if
it has been divided into two halves.
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Short
body column, the oral disk is not raised much above the surface
of the common tissue.
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Long
body column.
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Long
body column.
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Rough
to the touch.
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Rough
to the touch.
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Smooth
to the touch.
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Generally
cream, brown or yellow.
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Generally
brown to dark brown sometimes with tinges of
green or other colours |
Body
generally pale blue but oral disk and tentacles in a wide range
of colours, often the oral disk is a contrasting colour from the
tentacles.
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More comparisons
| Acknowlegement With grateful thanks to Dr James Reimer of JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) for identifying the zoanthids and ID tips. |
how to tell apart blob-like animals
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