December 13, 2025 By Julian Sprung
Sandalolitha dentata in an aquarium at Two Little Fishies
Lithophyllon undulatum in the display aquarium at Advanced Aquarium Consultancy
Mimicry exists among corals, sometimes quite overtly evolved, and other times as a result of chance processes, a sort of convergence that produces look-alike corals that are not related. Recently I saw some examples of convergent look-alike corals that, together, captivated my attention. We have an example of Sandalolitha dentata in one of the aquariums at Two Little Fishies that has a pattern of dark grey and bright green bands. In my recent visit to Advanced Aquarium Consultancy in the UK I noticed an exquisite Lithophyllon undulatum in one of their display aquariums that very strongly resembles my Sandalolitha dentata. That fun fungiid look-alike "match" alone warranted a blog post, but then I visited Top Shelf Aquatics in Orlando this month and was astonished by their "Cold Fusion Montipora" produced in house by grafting that bears striking resemblance to the aforementioned fungiids. A "Reverse Cold Fusion" was also produced there. A diver swimming over these could certainly imagine all were the same type of coral. Only in our aquariums can we appreciate the differences in fine detail.
Two views of the Cold Fusion Montipora at Top Shelf Aquatics in Orlando, Florida
