Solenastrea bournoni Solenastrea bournoni is a somewhat uncommon coral, although it can be abundant in certain habitats. To find this coral you will need to look in shallow reef lagoons, often with murky waters, sandy bottoms, or seagrass beds. There are two…
Caribbean Coral Diaries: Siderastrea radians
Siderastrea radians Siderastrea is a common boulder type Caribbean coral, but to spot the lesser-known species, Siderastrea radians requires a shallow dive and a keen eye. Siderastrea radians grows into small round boulders or domes, compared to its massive relative, the Siderastrea siderea. The simple…
Quick Guide To Mound & Boulder Caribbean Corals
Mound & Boulder Quick Guide We get it, you’re busy and don’t have time to sit around sifting through books or perusing our Guide to Caribbean Corals. So we made this quick guide to Mound & Boulder corals so you can easily identify Caribbean…
Quick Guide To Large Polyp Caribbean Corals
Large Polyps When most people imagine corals, they think of hundreds of tiny polyps creating a larger colony of coral. And while this is true for most corals there is a second category of corals which have large polyps, and even single…
Quick Guide To Plating Caribbean Corals
Plating Corals Want to identify a plating coral from the Caribbean? You’ve come to the right place! We made this quick guide to plating corals so you can easily identify Caribbean species at a glance. Plating corals can either grow outwards…
Quick Guide To Branching Caribbean Corals
Branching Corals Quick Guide We get it, you’re busy and don’t have time to sit around sifting through books or perusing our Guide to Caribbean Corals. So we made this quick guide to branching corals so you can easily identify Caribbean species at…
Caribbean Coral Diaries: Mycetophyllia lamarckiana
Mycetophyllia lamarckiana If you’ve been following my Caribbean coral series you might be asking why I waited until the end to cover this beloved coral. Mycetophyllia lamarckiana is one the most recognizable corals in the Caribbean, however teasing apart this confusing…
Caribbean Coral Diaries: Angaricia humilis
Undaria Agaricia humilis Undaria Agaricia corals are common throughout the Caribbean which forms plate-likeate like structures. This coral has small polyps which are most often retracted into the coral, and corallites and ridges run parallel to the edge of the colony. The genus…
Caribbean Coral Diares: Madracis carmabi
Madracis carmabi Madracis carmabi is a master of disguise. At first glance, you could be fooled into thinking this bulbous yellow coral is M. decactis or even the branching M. formosa, but take a closer look at the septal arrangement, and you might be surprised. Madracis carmabi is most likely a hybrid taking the ten septa arrangement…
Caribbean Coral Diaries – Fire Coral
Fire coral (Millepora sp.) is the VERY FIRST coral every scuba diver should learn to identify. These fuzzy orange corals hide a fierce sting and should be avoided at all cost. Colonies have a smooth surface with a pale yellow to…
