Organ pipe coral (species: Tubipora sp. 1) in Lizard Island area: all known taxa (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Tubipora sp. 1
Organ pipe coral


©Anne Hoggett: Tubipora sp. 1 at North Point, Lizard Island. Colony is about 12 cm wide.

©Anne Hoggett: Tubipora sp. 1 at North Point, Lizard Island. Polyps are about 7 mm in diameter including tentacles.

©Anne Hoggett: Tubipora sp. 1 at North Point, Lizard Island. Polyps retracting.
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Order Malacalcyonacea
Family Tubiporidae
Genus Tubipora
Species Tubipora sp. 1
Status near threatened

Colours

                   

Distinguishing features

This is the common Tubipora in the Lizard Island region.

Size

  • Size data has not been obtained.

Synonyms

Similar taxa

Comments

Octocoral expert Dr Phil Alderslade noted:

“If the iNaturalist images identified as Tubipora musica are examined, where the polyps visible and are rendered sufficiently large, it can be seen that there are at least 4 different forms. All of these are different species. There are numerous different species scientifically described but none can be identified with any certainty at all.
There at least 8 known clearly different polyp shapes meaning there are at least 8 different species of Tubipora (check Google Images). The first species described was Tubipora musica and Linnaeus based this on a dry, dead skeleton. There is no idea what the polyps may have been like, and therefore what the polyp sclerites were like, and no idea even of what part of the world the sample came from. The characteristics of Tubipora musica will never be known - it will remain a mystery for ever.”

(https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?page=11&place_id=117997 accessed 8 Mar 2019)

by Anne Hoggett

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution of Tubipora musica, which probably includes several species.

Web resources

References

  • Marin, I. (2011). Two new species of alcyonacean-associated shrimp genus Alcyonohippolyte Marin, Okuno & Chan, 2010 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Hippolytidae) from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Zootaxa, 3123: 49-59. LIRS catalog number 1532.