Unknown Coral Specimens

A Chance to Test you Skills at Coral Identification

The following ten specimens are available for you to look at in the lab. Each has a different letter in the specimen storage box. The more difficult specimens appear last on this page. You can return to this page from the first page of this activity and also from the List of Corals Included by selecting Unknowns from the NMITA database. Use the key under Identification Key to determine the identities of the following coral. If you are stumped, click on I give up.

Coral B: Pay attention to the number of corallites per branch. I give up. Be sure to look at the field photo.

Coral H: Colony shape is the trick here. I give up. Look at the SEM image.

Coral D: Look at the field photo for confirmation. I give up. Contrast this specimen and its field photo to the field photo of Acropora palmata.

Coral A : Be sure to look at the field photo. I give up.

Coral F: Contrast with specimen A. I give up. Be sure to look at the field photo.

Coral J: Look at the size of the corallite diameter. I give up. Be sure to look at the field photo.

Coral C: I give up. Be sure to look at the field photo.

Coral G: Stick with it, this one has a lot of characters. I give up. Look at the field photos for all of the other species in the same genus.

Coral E: Look at the type of budding, colony form and size of corallites. I give up.

Coral I: Look at the field photo and compare to I give up.

Plans for this section include providing unknown specimens in the form of photos. If you would like to practice your coral identification skills further, check back in a couple of weeks.

Last updated on January 8, 1997-afb.

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