Shared characteristics in Euphyllia

I used to keep a frogspawn and a torch in close contact with one another on the sand bed. I didn't have any problems with them doing any visible damage to one another and I actually kinda liked the look of the two together. Fast forward about 3 months or so and my torch stung the living daylights out of an Acanthastrae so I moved it across the tank into a more uninhabited region where it could go to full extension without contacting anything else. Everything is happy again and everyone is extended. The Acan is happy as can be.
Awhile ago I noticed that my frogspawn now looks to have longer tentacles that appear to mimic my torch but only on the head that was nearest the torch. Likewise the torch appears to have budded branched tentacles in the area that was in contact with the frogspawn. Does anyone have any insight into this? Is it all in my imagination or is there something going on?

p.s I just realized I only took pictures of the divisa i'll add the torch in later.

 

It's a fascinating observation.

I keep racking my brain trying to figure out how that would happen.

Where they so close that tissue from one might have grown on some part of the skeleton of the other?

Following for curiosity.

Beautiful coral BTW.

 

The contact between the two was always limited to the tentacles. When I originally placed the two I still wasn't completely convinced that they would be peaceful so I placed them a couple inches apart. Once I was sure that they would coexist I figured the less intervention the better. I hate working on the sand bed bc there isn't much gap between my lights and rim and my viewing angle is limited to say the least. I'm always worried i'm going drop somebody or scrape a head against the rock. I have no idea how aquarists with deep tanks can manage. I must not be enough of a daredevil.

 

Thank you very much. ;D

 

Interesting. I have multiple euphyllias along a section of my tank (hammers, frogs, and torch). They aren't touching yet, but a couple of them are getting close. I'm going to keep an eye out for the change in tentacles.

I would think that if it were actual tissue moving from one to the other, then the color of the "torch" tentacles would match the original colony and not the frogspawn. But, that's just a guess.

Maybe it's a defense mechanism...

Like a chameleon, maybe euphyillias morph to those around them to blend in?

 

Euphyllia are absolutely my favorite corals. I have my "painted" Hammer and Frogspawn together. The bases or skeletons haven't grown together, but the frogspawn surrounds the hammer.







It really just looks like sweeper tentacles to me.

 

One thought I had was that it may have been low level warfare between the two. Lightly aggravated over a period of time maybe its a defense mechanism. The torch buds more stinging cells and the frogspawn increases its reach to better guard its area.

 

Hmm interesting.

It boils down to there must be some exchange of DNA, thus they appear physically different both visually and with regard to certain characteristics that define one Euphyllia type over another.

 

I suppose nematocysts firing through the others flesh could be a mode of transport for DNA. Actually makes slightly more sense if the nematocysts fire and there's no reaction in the prey. The cells that have been perforated wouldn't dissolve I suppose. The barb would most likely stay in and the filament behind it would likely sever. Would the DNA be able to migrate across the nuclear membrane though?

 

Oh Lord this thread has big words in it.........Following!