A question about the EVERYTHING People Eaters

[Mr Cob]

I also have always known PE (people eaters) to be Palythoas with neon green mouths as seen in RPE or PPE.

As mentioned already they seem to grow slower than most Palys and Zoas and be picky about location.

My PPE colony drops only one polyp per month and if I move them they will stay closed for a week and not drop a polyp for a couple of months. The growth is alos like a matt, where as my Nuclear Green Palys grow as individual polyps and do not "matt".

[Mr Cob]

Since joining the Zoa and Paly Paradise group that Eve started I've been reading up on comparing Palys and Zoas. I have found that my info posted above about PE being Palys is incorrect. It would appear that People Eater polyps are Zoanthus (zoanthids).

Some signs: They grow slow and they bud from the base and form mats. I also don't see them store sediments in the base.

Additional reading:
http://www.reefs.org/library/aquariu...98/0198_1.html
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...003/invert.htm

[SoLiD]

OK... I don't know all the facts but about "People Eaters", but I do know that in 2001 "Blane Perun" came up with the name "Purple People Eaters" for some Purple Palys that had a "Green Mouth" and Skirt he was selling. They started fetching a high price on Ebay thus starting the whole "People Eater" naming frenzy... Red People Eater... Green People Eater.... and so on... It's much like the "Hornet" naming frenzy started by the the person selling "Purple Hornets".

http://www.thesea.org/zoanthids/peru...ople_eater.htm

http://www.farms-of-thesea.com/catalog/fund_drive.html

[Europhyllia]

Wow. And I almost didn't ask because I figured it was a stupid question. Look how much interesting info I got out of you guys! ;)

[Mr Cob]

OK... I don't know all the facts but about "People Eaters", but I do know that in 2001 "Blane Perun" came up with the name "Purple People Eaters" for some Purple Palys that had a "Green Mouth" and Skirt he was selling. They started fetching a high price on Ebay thus starting the whole "People Eater" naming frenzy... Red People Eater... Green People Eater.... and so on... It's much like the "Hornet" naming frenzy started by the the person selling "Purple Hornets".

http://www.thesea.org/zoanthids/peru...ople_eater.htm

http://www.farms-of-thesea.com/catalog/fund_drive.html

great info, I enjoyed reading about them. But even he states "I believe them to be Palythoa or Protopalythoa..." which means even he isn't sure. Thus my point. They in fact could be Zoanthus based on the readings I posted.

Anyways...even the scientists aren't sure.

[Mr Cob]

One thing is for sure....all these polyps we are talking about... Zoanthus, Palythoa, Protopalythoa.....they are all Zoanthidae!

[stoneroller]

The scientific name for "people eaters" is Zoanthus giganticus, not only given away by the green mouth but when they are closed they all have the white stripes as well. http://www.coralpedia.com/index.php?...g2_itemId=2404

[stoneroller]

And... I must say that a lot of folks (out of habit?) call larger polyps, "palys", which may or may not be true. Palythoa and Protopalythoa both have grains embedded in the stalks. Palythoa specimens (an embedded blob of drab colored polyps) are not as common as the other "button polyps" we see around, taking over tanks. There are actually a lot of large Zoanthus spp. and IMO are being called palys, Lunar Eclipse or Candy Apple Red for example.

[Mr Cob]

Dude...you need to go join Eve's group and post about Palys and Zoas...

[Europhyllia]

Very cool. Now I'm kind of proud to have referred to them as slightly bigger than other zoas zoa! lol