“ 1 CATEG”RX-Identification Notes INVERTEBRATES

red, or tiger coral; coral sea fan; red stone or limestone. PROBLEM: Seashell jewelry imported from the Philippines contains unmarked and undeclared coral beads and inlay, and may violate Philippine laws. Many beads and inlays are made from skeletons (axis) of the red stony sea fan, Melithaea species. The axis is sponge-like with soft sections (nodes) composed of keratin. These nodes have microscopic spicules (see below) diagnostic of this family. This coral changes from red to pink, to yellow, and then to white when heat is applied. IDENTIFICATION PROCEDURE: 1. With a knife, scrape an area clean of dye and lacquer. 2. Scrape into the soft node with a nail or similar probe. Collect the dust on a microscope slide, carefuly add a drop of water, and apply a cover slip. 3. Examine the slide under a compound microscope (at 100x or 200x) for spicules as illustrated below (most large airports have USDA-PPQ insect examination stations equipped with a microscope)