Ricordea or Discosoma?

[Foogoo]

How can I tell if one of my polyps is a ricordea or just a furry shroom?

[tinyreef]

my limited experience with ricordias are that they are more 'bulbous' in their tentacles and more fluorescent than hairys.

 

rhodactis are usually the hairy shrooms ime. similar to discos in some species but generally easier to tell apart from ricordias in their hairier versions imo.

 

anyone else know any other specific differentiation qualities? ???

[FlyGTI]

My ricordea is much more pimply, if you will, than hairy shrooms that I've seen.

[Physh1]

Ricordea have what are called beads.....what Tinyreef called "bulbous". Ricordea are usually covered in these beads. This is usually the key way to ID them.

 

Discosoma usually are flat, or hairy. Some though are bulbous like Ricordea are. Discosoma will range from a few beads to Ricordea like numbers of beads. This is the hard to ID area.

 

There is one thing that Ricordea have the Discosoma don't.....that is spirocysts....like carpet anemones (stinging cells).

 

So, if you mushroom has tone of beads, bulbs, looks bulbous, it's very likely a Ricordea but there is a slim slim chance that it's a Discosoma....very few discosoma have as many beads as Ricordea.

 

Hope that helps....and makes sense...

 

Cameron

[Dave ESPI]

Originally posted by tinyreef

my limited experience with ...rhodactis are usually the hairy shrooms ime.  similar to discos in some species but generally easier to tell apart from ricordias in their hairier versions imo.

 

anyone else know any other specific differentiation qualities? ???

 

Rohodactus are giant cup or "ear" mushrooms and can be both pimpily nad also appear hairy. NOT a good analogy.

 

Physh has is correct.

[tinyreef]

sorry, i didn't mean rhodactis were only hairy or discos were only smooth. sorry if it came out that way.

 

i meant i very rarely seen hairy discosomas (actually never or saw it and didn't know it) but that most of the hairy ones i see are rhodactis. actually, i haven't seen much of elephant ears around me either for some reason (rarely). too predatory for the lfs, i guess? ???

 

dave's correct that physh's analogy is right on. altho i thought rhodactis also had stingers too.