Mystery Reef Animal (Yule Edition)

18 Dec, 2020

Can you identify this marine invertebrate? Hint: It is not Christmas Tree Worms. Image by Vincent Chalias/Bali Aquarium.

Excerpt from Reef Visions
Edited by Matt Pedersen
January/February 2021 CORAL

RED & GOLD CYCLOSERIS
Cycloseris sp.
Bali Aquarium
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
baliaquarium.net

Geographic Origin: North Bali, Indonesia
Light Level: Moderate
Flow Level: Low to Moderate
Care Level: Intermediate

Full, wild colony, photographed on a reef in Indonesian waters. Image: Vincent Chalias/Bali Aquarium.

Notes: This striking coral was discovered by photographer Vincent
Chalias while diving in North Bali at a depth of 82 feet (25 m). “Note the acrospheres on the tentacles, typical of Cycloserine corals,” says Chalias. Corals like these will be much harder to obtain, as Bali Aquarium made the decision to not renew their wild-export license in 2020. Instead, they are focused solely on the production of maricultured corals.

With ever-diminishing availability of wild corals, small plate corals like this may be prime candidates for coral-breeding projects.

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About the author

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Reef To Rainforest

Reef to Rainforest Media, LLC is the publisher of award-winning magazines and books in the fields of aquarium keeping, aquatics, and marine science. It is the English-language publisher of CORAL Magazine and is based in Shelburne, Vermont, USA.

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