need a little help with an ID
 

i know its a little blurry but i had to blow it up using photoshop. i found this in my rock today. to me it looks like a motipora. doesnt seem like a sponge to me. it has spots where possibly polyps would be. what do you think?

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...f/100_1258.jpg

Can't tell for sure from the pic, but maybe a Porites coral? Sometimes you can get patches of encrusting Porites on rock, and their polyps look a little Montipora-ish ..

What he said

The way the "polyps" line up makes me think its a type of sponge. They're commonly found on the bali frag plugs and they look kind of funny. At first I thought they were a funky flatworm. I'll see if I can find a pic to show you :biggrin:

i was looking closely at it last night and i was also wondering a sea squirt. do they start like that?

I've been browsing the internet for a photo and you're right it is likely more a tunicate than a sponge. I have some of it growing on my rock. I'll take a pic this weekend and post it. I do believe there is also a photo in Calfos Reef Invertebrates book (somewhere in there).

Ok here is sort of what I'm talking about. Without all the jazzy color :razz: (mine is brownish grey) They're Botryllus schlosserii

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/...tryllus800.jpg

http://www.marinelifephotography.com.../Botryllus.jpg