Colt vs. Leather......What would be the difference?

ohhhhhh! ok, well, that makes it clear as mud! Thanks Geek!!! ;D

 

finger leather is a generic term for any branching leather coral aka leathers that look like trees.

 

10-4! Thanks Geek! + karma for ya!

 

it's a colt finger leather coral named Herbie!

 

"colt" corals are a vague term for many genus' of alcyonium's! A colt coral can be listed as Alconium, Claudiella, Litophyton, Capnella, Nepthea or Lemnalia. The three distinguishing characterists that better allow one to determine the exact genus or species of Octocoral they have are color, whether they are monomorphic or dimorphic(consisting of just autozooid polyps or both autozooid and siphonozooid polyps). The best way of determing the true type of coral that you have, although it is the hardest way for us to depict, is to look at the sclerites. Sclerite design and structure is different in each type of octocoral, therfore under a microscope, you can best characterize the type of soft coral you actually have!

 

I have a microscope what is a Sclerite and a octocoral?

 

Good name. - will start calling mine same.

 

Octocoral is any form of soft coral, just as scleractinia is associated with stony corals!
Sclerites are the hard calcium body that aids in supporting the body structure of soft corals. These sclerites aid in the taxonomic differences of many species of octocorals based on the sclerite distinctive shapes and sizes!!!!

 

sclerites
See how the sclerite spicules are different? This is the best way of determining what you actually have with out being generic or not precise!

 

Octocorals refer to corals that have eight tentacles on their polyps