Montipora danaeis a name that has often been misapplied to a range of montis with bumps, including superman, rainbow, pokerstar and just about any wildmontiporawith a somewhat bumpy surface. But here we have a picture perfectMontipora danaefromRoute 66 Marinewith the telltale nodules that nearly dwarf the polyps and what a specimen it is!
Montipora danaeis not particularly rare but the best you can usually hope for with this species is a tan colored colony with small blue polyps but this one is special. This red specimen ofMontipora danaeis being dubbed the “Phoenix Monti” by Routesixty-sixand we must give them props for white balancing the heck out of this photograph.
As white as that egg-crate is, perhaps Route over-white-balanced this image but the seasoned coral collector should have no problem imagining what this coral would look like if its brilliant red-orange color got some exposure to a variety of our exotic blue spectrum. For now Route 66 is placing this exquisite colony ofMontipora danaein its private reserve of cultivated corals which should ensure a generous and widespread distribution of this coral in the U.S. in the near future.
