Branching Fire Coral. Blade Fire Coral. Branching refers to any branching coral, such as Acropora species. 03. It is a hard, branching coral with blunt, slightly flattened ends. Millepora complanata. Size: Up to 30cm across. Smooth cauliflower coral. Branching corals: this type is most commonly associated with the most colorful small corals, and are made up of a tree-like structure with multiple branches and secondary branches. Striatopora is a type of branching tabulate coral. Identify dominant coral groups and rank their bleaching tolerance based on morphology (massive>encrusting>branching/tabular). Compact branching: where branches of a colony are close together. Box Fire Coral. ifish / Getty Images. Rough Cactus Coral. Millepora alcicornis. See our Corals Information page to learn more about how to acquire many of the species of corals shown here. Continua: where there is no clear discontinuity in morphology, genotype or distribution. When it comes to Coral Identification the sheer number of and different types of coral make it hard to come up with an extensive, all encompassing list. Mycetophyllia danaan. Individual calices are generally only a few mm across, but have well-developed walls, so that they stick out slightly from the corullum (the rest of the coral skeleton) somewhat like holes on a flute. The Coral Health Chart uses four coral types to classify corals. Photos and pictures of Acropora species Bottlebrush, Branching, Brier, Bushy, Cat's Paw, Cluster, Elkhorn, Staghorn, Table/Tabletop Acropora corals, and Montipora species named Plate, Velvet/Velvet Finger Coral, Encrusting and Whorled Montipora. Conduct surveys of coral community composition at sites and assess dominance of coral types known to be more resistant or tolerant to bleaching. Knowing and being able to identify different types of marine life, fish and coral makes scuba diving all the more exciting and enjoyable. Spiny Flower Coral. Low-Ridge Cactus Coral. The coral animal, along with its algae, grows on a skeleton of coral created from calcium in the sea water. Mussa angulosa. Common in shallow reef areas, particularly those that are exposed to strong wave action, although it can occur to a depth of about 15m. Colour ranges from cream, pink or blue to greens. SPONGES & CORALS 3(d) Structure, Classification and Function of Corals. Knobby Cactus Coral. Some of the more rare types of coral, such as blastomussa and montipora can usually be obtained when a box of corals is ordered, however, the quantity per order is limited. Millepora squarrosa. Coral: for the specific purpose of Coral ID, the term coral is short for zooxanthellate scleractinian coral. Uniqueness: The Great Barrier Reef is not just the largest coral system in the world, it is the one thought to have the highest biodiversity.That is, more kinds plants and animals than any other ecosystem. Corallite: the skeleton of an individual polyp Montastrea cavernosa. Great Star Coral. Stylophora pistillata. Pictures of two primary genera of the Acroporidae family that together makes up almost one-third of all reef-building corals. A single coral species can grow in a wide variety of shapes and sizes depending on the environmental conditions (light, currents, sedimentation, etc). Boulder refers to any massive or rounded corals, such as … Mycetophyllia aliciae.