Fish identification archive / Rose Coral

Rose Coral

Manicina areolata

Fun facts for your next surface interval

Adult colonies can live unattached on sediment. [source]
The species has been studied for lunar-patterned larval release. [source]
The corridor record is attributed to Key Largo, Florida. [source]

Florida and local context

Florent Charpin’s individual photograph page identifies Manicina areolata and explicitly places that photograph at Key Largo, Florida.

A documented past record does not establish present abundance or guarantee an encounter.

Sources: Local occurrence record: Key Largo, Florida

How to recognize this animal

A small meandroid coral, with winding valleys rather than isolated star-like cups. Adult colonies may be free-living on sediment instead of remaining cemented to reef rock.

Sources: Biology reference for Manicina areolata

Size and life stages

The local identification guide lists Colony 2 to 6 in. (5 to 15 cm). Its measurement axis and life-stage basis are not stated, so this is a guide value rather than a verified maximum, test diameter, arm span or harvest size.

Sources: Local occurrence record: Key Largo, Florida

Habitat and where to look

Primary Caribbean studies describe free-living colonies. The exact corridor evidence remains the separately captioned Key Largo photograph, not the Panama study site.

Sources: Biology reference for Manicina areolata; Local occurrence record: Key Largo, Florida

Range and local context

Corridor inclusion is based on Key Largo, Florida. Florent Charpin’s individual photograph page identifies Manicina areolata and explicitly places that photograph at Key Largo, Florida. This is a documented occurrence, not a guarantee of a present-day encounter.

Sources: Local occurrence record: Key Largo, Florida

What is on the menu?

The sources checked for this draft do not establish this species’ particular prey or food proportions. A nearby organism in a photograph is not automatically a food item; no diet is inferred from a related species.

Daily habits and behavior

A colony can remain unattached during adult life. A loose colony on sand is therefore not automatically a broken fragment that needs to be moved.

Sources: Biology reference for Manicina areolata

Mating and the next generation

A Panama study describes simultaneous hermaphroditism and investigates lunar patterns in larval release. Its timing must not be republished as a Florida spawning calendar.

Sources: Biology reference for Manicina areolata

Look-alikes and identification traps

Do not confuse a free-living form with a damaged fragment solely because it is unattached. Current accepted synonyms are reconciled in the identity record.

Sources: Biology reference for Manicina areolata; WoRMS: accepted identity

Observe without disturbing

Photograph the animal where it lives. Maintain buoyancy and keep fins, hands, lights and equipment clear of it and its substrate. Do not touch, feed, uncover, detach or reposition it. These observation practices do not grant permission to collect.

Harvest, protection and eating safety

Protected: no recreational take

Verified stony-coral harvest protection, not food clearance.

This color is a qualified summary, not permission to collect or a guarantee that a particular animal is safe to eat.

Can it be hunted or harvested?

Manicina areolata is a stony coral (Scleractinia), a group whose recreational harvest FWC prohibits. Research or aquaculture authorizations are not ordinary recreational permission. Federal South Atlantic prohibited-coral and live-rock rules also apply where relevant.

Florida seasons and areas

No recreational take. Blue Heron Bridge mapped dive-site waters are closed to marine-life harvest; nearby Peanut Island records do not establish that exact location. Biscayne ornamental collection requires a superintendent permit. Its separate mapped fishing/possession closure is March 1–May 31, effective March 2026, with properly stowed continuous transit excepted. Key Largo Management Area prohibits collection of these invertebrates; lobster and commercial trap exceptions do not authorize their collection. Sanctuary Preservation Areas prohibit collecting. Check exact boundaries and current park requirements, including Pennekamp, before any take. General state rules do not override these areas.

Can it be speared?

Do not spear this protected organism. State and federal jurisdictions differ. FWC location restrictions and NOAA Key Largo spearfishing prohibition must be checked independently. Pennekamp is not a spearfishing allowance.

Is it safe to eat?

No exact-species food-safety clearance, meal frequency, or dated species-matched local menu evidence was verified. Recipes remain disabled. Collection legality is not evidence of edibility.

This review covers the Vero Beach–Key Largo Atlantic corridor: Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Florida Atlantic state waters and South Atlantic federal waters are distinct jurisdictions. Do not extend a state-water season tag to federal waters or transfer Atlantic rules to Gulf-side Keys waters. Park and sanctuary boundaries can override a species allowance. FWC expressly states that its marine-life regulations apply in federal waters; this does not erase independent federal restrictions.

Before you act: Confirm the species, date, exact management area, state or federal waters, gear, licenses and current local closures. A local occurrence record never grants permission to take an animal.

Official rules and health guidance

Reviewed 2026-11-11. Rules and advisories can change; check the linked authorities before acting.

Identification and source cautions

Historical occurrence does not establish current abundance, colony survival, or a guaranteed sighting.
No original profile, harvest/legal review, artwork, or publishing has been completed for this candidate.
Observation date was not supplied. Identification follows the named photographer; the specimen was not independently reidentified.
A named diving area is given, not a particular reef or exact dive site.
The exact local photograph is attributed to its source and has not been independently reidentified for this draft.
Biological source access varies: some records were accessible only as an abstract or indexed passage. Independent claim review is required.
No cited photograph is reproduced or licensed by this draft.

Sources and review

Reviewed 2026-11-11; biological claims and this representative illustration independently checked. Photographs on cited sites are reference material and are not reproduced here.

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