Australomussa Rowleyensis

[michael.]

Characters: Colonies are flattened, helmet- or dome-shaped. Corallites are subcerioid or have short, shallow valleys 8-20 millimetres wide, separated by thick walls. Tissue over the septa is usually distinct in colour and/or texture from tissue over the costae. Septa and costae are sturdy, with large blunt teeth. Colour: In north-west Australia, colonies are a uniform blue-grey or valleys may have concentric cream and green colours. In south-east Asia colonies have a much wider range of colours including bright red, yellow and green. Similar species: Corallite details are like those of Scolymia vitiensis.
Here's a pic of the very similar looking Scolymia Vitiensis for comparison. Australomussa becomes large colonies many feet wide in the ocean, whereas there is no such thing as a colony of Scolymia.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/Scolymiaskel.jpg
Australomussa Rowleyensis Skeletal structure
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/Australomussarowleyensisskel.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/Australomussarowleyensisskel2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/Australomussarowleyensis3.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/australomussarowleyensis6.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/australomussarowleyensis1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/australomussarowleyensis7.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/Australomussarowleyensis4-1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/lush-a-lot/australomussarowleyensis2.jpg