Georgina Jones (CC-BY-SA), Cape Town
Info
Arula petunia is a really small tube coral, on a substrate piece of just 4.5 x 3cm grew ~100 polyps!
The coral was discovered around Park Rynie, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.
The polyps of the colony are connected by narrow tubular stolons, and the anthocodia can be retracted into cylindrical to clavate calyxes.
The adjacent tentacles are centered to form a broad, circular oral membrane.
Sclerites of anthocodia are smooth rods, those of calyx and stolon are small 6-rayed, tabular and colorless.
Etymology:
The genus name "arula" is from Latin and means "small altar" in reference to the shape of the
Sclerites in the calyx and spurs, which resemble altar tables.
Etymology:
The species name "petunia" is neo-Latin and means "petunia", a genus of plants whose broad, tubular flowers are reminiscent of the oral mucosa of this coral species.
The coral was discovered around Park Rynie, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.
The polyps of the colony are connected by narrow tubular stolons, and the anthocodia can be retracted into cylindrical to clavate calyxes.
The adjacent tentacles are centered to form a broad, circular oral membrane.
Sclerites of anthocodia are smooth rods, those of calyx and stolon are small 6-rayed, tabular and colorless.
Etymology:
The genus name "arula" is from Latin and means "small altar" in reference to the shape of the
Sclerites in the calyx and spurs, which resemble altar tables.
Etymology:
The species name "petunia" is neo-Latin and means "petunia", a genus of plants whose broad, tubular flowers are reminiscent of the oral mucosa of this coral species.
