fungia buds

[Bart Shepherd]

I'm fascinated by the idea of the "phoenix effect" and am
glad to see it getting so much attention on this list.

For what its worth, I have a specimen of Fungia sp. that has
been producing anthocauli (perhaps more properly termed
anthoblasts because of asexual derivation?) for over 4 years
now.  It seems that, given appropriate environmental
conditions, these specimens can bud indefinitely.  This
animal has produced nearly 100 offspring in this time and
has shown no regeneration of tissue over the primary polyp.
It seems that this would be an ideal organism to work with
in marine ornamental aquaculture.  Many damaged specimens
are simply tossed away because they have no "commercial
value" while they could be harnessed as Fungia factories!

The majority of the anthoblasts here died during a period of
low calcium/alkalinity in the system that they were being
maintained in, but a number survive and have reached
skeletal diameters of 6-8 cm.  I published a review of
other's work and some data about my inability to induce
budding using Boschma's protocol (ablation of primary mouth)
in a closed water system.  The citation follows for those
interested.

Shepherd, W.R. (1999). Captive propagation and induced
budding of mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae)
Association of Zoos and Aquariums Regional Conference
Proceedings 1999. 22-27

-Bart

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 Bart Shepherd

               Steinhart Aquarium
    California Academy of Sciences
               Golden Gate Park
          San Francisco CA 94118
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tel (415) 750 7289  fax (415) 750 7269
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