Occurrence and Identity of Shallow-water Black Corals (Antipatharia) From Eastern Mactan and Its Vicinity, Cebu, Central Philippines

Antipatharians (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia), commonly known as black corals are represented by over 275 recognized species that are characterized principally by a spiny proteinaceous skeleton. In the Philippines there has been very little scientific studies working on their taxonomy, abundance, and dist...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Thalassas : revista de ciencias del mar 2022-10, Vol.38 (2), p.1105-1122
Main Authors: Bacharo, Kurt Bryant B., Sotto, Filipina B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antipatharia
Coastal Sciences
Coral reefs
Corals
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Genera
Islands
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Marine biology
Museums
Oceanography
Polyps
Shallow water
Taxonomy
Water depth
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Summary:Antipatharians (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia), commonly known as black corals are represented by over 275 recognized species that are characterized principally by a spiny proteinaceous skeleton. In the Philippines there has been very little scientific studies working on their taxonomy, abundance, and distribution. To address this lack of knowledge, we sought to identify the black corals found on the shallow-water reefs of Eastern Mactan, Sulpa, and Nalusuan Islands, within a depth range of 5–32 m. A total of eight distinct species were identified, belonging to two families (Myriopathidae and Antipathidae), and four genera ( Antipathes , Cirrhipathes , Stichopathes , Myriopathes ). Among them, two species ( C. cf. contorta, S. cf. maldivensis ) were reported for the first time in the Philippines. Given our small study area, these findings suggest that the Philippines may host a higher diversity of black corals than previously supposed.
ISSN:0212-5919
2366-1674
DOI:10.1007/s41208-022-00444-2