Scleractinian coral (Cnidaria, Hexacorallia, Scleractinia) diversity of the Mersing Islands, Peninsular Malaysia

We present a comprehensive checklist of scleractinian (hard) corals for the Mersing Islands, Malaysia based on surveys conducted at 24 reefs across protected and unprotected marine areas. A total of 261 species of corals from 16 families and one incertae sedis (Pachyseris spp.) were recorded, along with ten records that are new for the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Compared against the IUCN Red List, 46.7% of coral species found in the Mersing Islands were of Least Concern (LC), 29.5% as Near Threatened (NT) and 16.4% Vulnerable (V). Only one recorded species, Pectinia maxima (Moll & Best, 1984), was listed as Endangered (EN). Baseline species diversity data are essential for the monitoring and management of marine biodiversity, especially within marine protected areas. With both protected and unprotected coral reef areas in the vicinity of the widely scattered Mersing Islands, the diversity and distribution of coral species can be used as the basis for area-based conservation and management strategies. The diversity and abundance of scleractinian corals of each island or area should be surveyed periodically to ensure the appropriate level of protection is afforded to retain scleractinian biodiversity in this region

CONSERVATION AND POPULATION GENETICS OF REEF CORALS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FOS

Host age is not a consistent predictor of coral-associated microbial diversity

Scientific Report

Searching for phylogenetic patterns of Symbiodiniaceae community structure among Indo-Pacific Merulinidae corals

Over half of all extant stony corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia) harbour endosymbiotic dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae, forming the foundational species of modern shallow reefs. However, whether these associations are conserved on the coral phylogeny remains unknown. Here we aim to characterise Symbiodiniaceae communities in eight closely-related species in the genera Merulina, Goniastrea and Scapophyllia, and determine if the variation in endosymbiont community structure can be explained by the phylogenetic relatedness among hosts. We perform DNA metabarcoding of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 using Symbiodiniaceae-specific primers on 30 coral colonies to recover three major endosymbiont clades represented by 23 distinct types. In agreement with previous studies on Southeast Asian corals, we find an abundance of Cladocopium and Durusdinium, but also detect Symbiodinium types in three of the eight coral host species. Interestingly, differences in endosymbiont community structure are dominated by host variation at the intraspecific level, rather than interspecific, intergeneric or among-clade levels, indicating a lack of phylogenetic constraint in the coral-endosymbiont association among host species. Furthermore, the limited geographic sampling of four localities spanning the Western and Central Indo-Pacific preliminarily hints at large-scale spatial structuring of Symbiodiniaceae communities. More extensive collections of corals from various regions and environments will help us better understand the specificity of the coral-endosymbiont relationship

Distinct lineages and population genomic structure of the coral Pachyseris speciosa in the small equatorial reef system of Singapore

10.1007/s00338-021-02160-4Coral Reef

Endosymbiont Communities in Pachyseris speciosa Highlight Geographical and Methodological Variations

10.3389/fmars.2021.759744Frontiers in Marine Science875974

New evidence shows that Pocillopora ‘damicornis-like’ corals in Singapore are actually Pocillopora acuta (Scleractinia: Pocilloporidae)

Molecular sequence data have previously revealed the existence of cryptic species associated with the Pocillopora ‘damicornis-like’ coral. Recently, this species complex has been reclassified into three species including the resurrected P. acuta, which appears to have a wide distribution. Morphological characteristics described for P. acuta are present in corals previously identified as Pocillopora damicornis. To determine if the Pocillopora ‘damicornis-like’ colonies on Singapore’s reefs are P. acuta, P. damicornis, or both, we examined a new collection of Pocillopora using mitochondrial DNA data and morphology. We also compared specimen morphologies from past collections and examined the known regional distributions of both species. Our analyses show that most Pocillopora ‘damicornis-like’ corals in Singapore are P. acuta instead of P. damicornis. Findings here are important for coral diversity records in Singapore and will help clarify distributional limits of morphologically similar Pocillopora species

New evidence shows that Pocillopora ‘damicornis-like’ corals in Singapore are actually Pocillopora acuta (Scleractinia: Pocilloporidae)

Molecular sequence data have previously revealed the existence of cryptic species associated with the Pocillopora ‘damicornis-like’ coral. Recently, this species complex has been reclassified into three species including the resurrected P. acuta, which appears to have a wide distribution. Morphological characteristics described for P. acuta are present in corals previously identified as Pocillopora damicornis. To determine if the Pocillopora ‘damicornis-like’ colonies on Singapore’s reefs are P. acuta, P. damicornis, or both, we examined a new collection of Pocillopora using mitochondrial DNA data and morphology. We also compared specimen morphologies from past collections and examined the known regional distributions of both species. Our analyses show that most Pocillopora ‘damicornis-like’ corals in Singapore are P. acuta instead of P. damicornis. Findings here are important for coral diversity records in Singapore and will help clarify distributional limits of morphologically similar Pocillopora species

Egg capsules and veligers of the corallivorous muricid gastropod Drupella rugosa (Born, 1778)

10.1080/07924259.2017.1315343Invertebrate Reproduction & Development613164-17

In Situ Nurseries Enhance Coral Transplant Growth in Sedimented Waters

10.1080/17451000.2017.1307988Marine Biology Research138878-88