Corallimorphs

1. Corallimorphs Mushroom Anemones

2. Definition • Order Corallimorpharia: Coral anemones. Solitary or colonial, flattened mushroom-like anemones • Short, stubby tentacles radially arranged • Similar to true corals, but lack skeletons • About ten families. Most common genera Actinodiscus, Ricordea, Corynactis, Rhodactis, Amplexidiscus. (the last two can eat unwary fishes... commonly clowns) Individual polyps 1 inch to 1 foot across.

3. Green star mushroom Corallimorphs

4. Definition • Halfway between anemones & stony corals • No calcerous skeleton like anemones but anatomically more strongly resemble stony corals • About 50 known species • Little is known natural history • Wide variation in species identification

5. Button polyps Corralimorphs

6. Frogspawn coral (Euphyllia sp), a type of hard coral Brown finger leather (Sinularia sp Tonga yellow leather (Sarcophyton elegans). Creeping Xenia

7. Pink sinularia

8. Strawberry Corallimorph Corynactis californica Balloon corallimorphs (Amplexidiscus fenestrafer) Papua New Guinea

9. Pliopontonia furtiva shrimp Sulawesi Amplexidiscus fenestrafer Elephant Ears

10. Characteristics • Corallimorphs are among the easiest corals to keep in aquariums • Needs sand substrate, live rock, gentle to moderate water movement & oxygenation • Tolerate to high levels of nitrate and other organic compounds

11. Stippled, smooth, to fuzzy and striped, the most common corallimorphs comprise the genus Actinodiscus

12. Ricordea Corynactis, cold water only Metarhodactis sp. Sulawesi Pacific Ricordea

13. Corallimorph Pets • Corallimorphs require regular feeding with chopped shrimp, mysis, worms, pulverized fish food, mussel, fish roe, or plankton substitutes such as brine shrimp and Daphnia

14. Elephant Ear Corralimorph • The Elephant Ear is probably one of the most unusual corals available • They are like the Venus Flytrap plant in animal form. Looking like an anemone, they attract small fish, especially small anemone fish but other fish as well, to take refuge in their oral disk • Disk doesn't sting them like most anemones would but it slowly closes on the fish until it cannot escape • Mouth opens and consumes the fish • Suspected that the anemone secretes a drug which tranquilizes the fish and keeps it from trying to escape

15. Elephant Ear Mushroom AnemoneAmplexidiscus fenestrafer

16. Types • The elephant ear is usually cream colored or light grey, sometimes they have a greenish cast to them • Size up to 44 cm in diameter (usually 20-25 cm) • Tenacle free area just inside the edge of the disc.

18. Blue Mushroom Anemone • These corals come in many different colors like blue, red, green, brown, purple and often have stripes, spots, and mottled color variations • Favorite in aquarium collections due to diverse color & beauty

19. Blue Mushroom AnemoneDiscosoma spp.

20. Striped Mushroom AnemoneDiscosoma spp. Red Mushroom AnemoneDiscosoma spp. Green Mushroom AnemoneDiscosoma spp Blue Mushroom AnemoneDiscosoma spp.

21. Saddle Carpet Anemone

22. Curlicue Anemone

23. Orangeball corallimorph

24. Orangeball corallimorph

25. Orangeball Corallimorph

27. Ricordia Caribbean Discosoma Indian ocean Euphyllia divisaFrogspawn Coral Candycane coral PlerogyraBubble Coral

28. PalythoaButton Polyps XeniaPulse Coral Carnation soft coral BlastomussaPineapple Coral SarcophytonToadstool Leather Coral ZoanthusSea Mat Polyps

29. Green bulls eye & Giant bulls eye ricordia florida)