Shallow Water Stony Corals (Scleractinia, Milleporidae, and Stylasteridae) from Utila and Cayos Cochinos, Honduras

The coral reefs of Utila and Cayos Cochinos located in the western Caribbean region (Honduras) were studied in Summer 2010 in order to acquire information concerning their richness in stony corals (Scleractinia, Milleporidae, and Stylasteridae) down to 18 m depth. Ten sites in each location were visually surveyed. Fourty-six species and 12 forms of zooxanthellate scleractinian corals belonging to 21 genera were observed at Utila and 44 species and 12 forms belonging to 20 genera at Cayos Cochinos. At each site, 3 species of milleporids and one species of Stylaster (S. roseus) were also observed. Four forms of zooxanthellate scleractinian corals were new records from Honduras. Up to now, 53 species of scleractinian corals have been identified within the whole Honduran Caribbean coast. They belong to 24 genera. This number represents approximately 93% of all scleractinian coral species reported for the Caribbean.

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New Distributional Record of Twelve Scleractinian Corals From Saint Martin’s Island, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Journal of Zoology ◽

10.3329/bjz.v49i1.53678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 3-18

Author(s):

Kazi Ahsan Habib ◽

Md Jayedul Islam

Keyword(s):

Scleractinian Coral ◽

Coral Species ◽

New Records ◽

Scleractinian Corals ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

Biodiversity Monitoring ◽

Visual Census ◽

Underwater Visual Census ◽

Coral Communities ◽

First Time

Saint Martin's Island is the only island in Bangladesh where coral communities are found. An expedition on marine biodiversity monitoring of Saint Martin’s Island through underwater visual census method was carried out from December 2017 to March 2018. In this study, a total of 25 scleractinian coral species of 8 families and 14 genera were identified, of which 12 species, Dipsastraea lizardensis, Dipsastraea maritima, Dipsastraea veroni, Favites acuticollis, Favites melicerum, Favites pentagona, Goniastrea stelligera, Goniopora albiconus, Goniopora norfolkensis, Pavona clavus, Plesiastrea versipora, and Psammocora exesa were recorded for the first time in Bangladeshi marine water. These new records exemplify gaps in sampling and recording of coral species in Bangladesh, and suggest the need of extensive research on coral ecosystem in the country. Assessment of different valid reports and publications including the present study revealed that a total of 98 species of hard corals of 18 families and 37 genera have been reported until now in Saint Martin’s Island as well as Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Zool. 49(1): 03-18, 2021

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New records and update on the geographic distribution of the Bonyeared Assfish, Acanthonus armatus Günther, 1878 (Ophidiidae, Neobythitinae), in the Caribbean region

Check List ◽

10.15560/15.5.767 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (5) ◽

pp. 767-772 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrea Polanco F. ◽

Luisa F. Dueñas ◽

Jorge Leon ◽

Vladimir Puentes

Keyword(s):

Geographic Distribution ◽

Current Distribution ◽

New Records ◽

Range Extension ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Continental Coast ◽

Remote Operate Vehicle ◽

The Caribbean ◽

First Time

Acanthonus armatus Günther, 1878 is reported for the first time in the southwestern Caribbean region, off Colombia. Remote Operate Vehicle videos and towed camera still photographs captured 13 images of A. armatus between 2215 and 2564 m. These are the first records of the species in the Caribbean continental coast of Colombia, representing a range extension to the southwestern Caribbean region, since previous records are from the northeastern Caribbean. Some photos of the specimens and the current distribution of the species in the Caribbean region are provided and reviewed.

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An emerging coral disease outbreak decimated Caribbean coral populations and reshaped reef functionality

10.21203/rs.3.rs-734716/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip ◽

F. González-Barrios ◽

Esmeralda Pérez-Cervantes ◽

Ana Molina-Hernandez ◽

Nuria Estrada-Saldívar

Keyword(s):

Coral Species ◽

Coral Disease ◽

Structural Features ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Carbonate Production ◽

Coral Abundance ◽

Caribbean Coral ◽

Coral Communities ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Physical Functionality

Abstract Diseases are major drivers of the deterioration of coral reefs, linked to major declines in coral abundance, reef functionality, and reef-related ecosystems services1-3. An outbreak of a new disease is currently rampaging through the populations of the remaining reef-building corals across the Caribbean region. The outbreak was first reported in Florida in 2014 and reached the northern Mesoamerican reef by summer 2018, where it spread across the ~ 450-km reef system only in a few months4. Rapid infection was generalized across all sites and mortality rates ranged from 94% to < 10% among the 21 afflicted coral species. This single event further modified the coral communities across the region by increasing the relative dominance of weedy corals and reducing reef functionality, both in terms of functional diversity and calcium carbonate production. This emergent disease is likely to become the most lethal disturbance ever recorded in the Caribbean, and it will likely result in the onset of a new functional regime where key reef-building and complex branching acroporids (a genus apparently unaffected) will once again become conspicuous structural features in reef systems with yet even lower levels of physical functionality.

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Early Miocene shallow-water corals from La Guajira, Colombia: Part II, Mussidae–Siderastreidae and Milleporidae

Journal of Paleontology ◽

10.1017/jpa.2018.90 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 93 (3) ◽

pp. 416-436 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Paola Flórez ◽

Paula Zapata-Ramírez ◽

James S. Klaus

Keyword(s):

Shallow Water ◽

The Other ◽

Early Miocene ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Coral Fauna ◽

Living Species ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Established Species ◽

Zooxanthellate Corals

AbstractIn this contribution we describe and illustrate 14 coral morphospecies collected from the early Miocene Siamaná (Aquitanian–Burdigalian) and Jimol (late Burdigalian) formations of the Cocinetas Basin in La Guajira Peninsula, northern Colombia. Eleven were identified as already established species including seven genera belonging to the families Mussidae, Pocilloporidae, Poritidae, Siderastreidae, and Milleporidae; the other three remain in open nomenclature. Nine of the 11 species identified (81%) are extinct. The remaining two living species,Siderastrea sidereaandMillepora alcicornis, are common on modern Caribbean reefs. Their presence in the Siamaná Formation extends their temporal range in the Caribbean region to the early Miocene. Most of the taxa described here were hermatypic and zooxanthellate corals of the order Scleractinia, with the exception of the fire coralMillepora alcicornis, of the order Anthothecata, family Milleporidae. The coral fauna recorded in the Siamaná and Jimol formations is typical of shallow and calm waters of the Oligocene–Miocene transition.

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Diversity of Siphonophora (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) in the Western Caribbean Sea: new records from deep-water trawls

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2095.1.7 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2095 (1) ◽

pp. 60-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

REBECA GASCA

Keyword(s):

Deep Water ◽

New Records ◽

Caribbean Sea ◽

Relative Increase ◽

Tropical Atlantic ◽

Atlantic Region ◽

Surface Samples ◽

Mexican Caribbean ◽

Western Caribbean ◽

The Caribbean

Siphonophores are one of the least known gelatinous zooplankters in the tropical waters of the Northwestern Atlantic. Most of the regional knowledge about their diversity and distribution is based on surface samples (0–200 m). Siphonophores were collected from oceanic waters off the Mexican Caribbean across an expanded sampling range (0–940 m) during two cruises and were taxonomically examined. A total of 47 siphonophore species were recorded, of these, 14 had not been found in this sector of the Caribbean Sea and 10 represent new records for the Caribbean Basin. The number of species currently known from the western Caribbean is increased from 42 to 56. Some of these species also represent new records for the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic region. The greatest relative increase was observed among species of Lensia, five of which are exclusively deep-living forms dwelling below 300 m. A revised, expanded checklist of the siphonophores of the Western Caribbean is also provided. These results confirm the need of further deep sampling to increase our understanding of Caribbean siphonophore diversity.

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Sipunculans associated with dead coral skeletons in the Santa Marta region of Colombia, south-western Caribbean

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s002531541300043x ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 93 (7) ◽

pp. 1785-1793 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carlos E. Gómez ◽

Néstor E. Ardila ◽

Adolfo Sanjuan-Muñoz

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Dead Coral ◽

Discrete Component ◽

Massive Coral ◽

Coral Skeletons ◽

Montastraea Annularis ◽

Western Caribbean ◽

The Caribbean

Sipunculans represent a discrete component of the coral reef ecosystem, since they live inside the calcareous structure. They are an important component in terms of biomass and number of organisms. The present study describes the diversity of sipunculans living inside massive coral skeletons. A total of 43 blocks of dead coral skeletons from Montastraea cavernosa, Montastraea annularis and Diploria strigosa were collected from nearby coral reef areas off Santa Marta, on the Colombian Caribbean coast. Using hammer and chisel, blocks of approximately 1 dm3 were broken into small pieces, from which the sipunculans were extracted. A total of 381 organisms were obtained from the coral blocks comprising four families and 10 species. All the species found have been widely reported in different studies from the Caribbean region. Aspidosiphon fischeri and Phascolosoma perlucens were the two most abundant species comprising more than 60% of the total organisms with a mean density of 18.52 ± 4.64 organisms dm−3. Dead coral substrate from M. cavernosa had the greatest abundance (N = 148), followed by D. strigosa (N = 121) and M. annularis (N = 112). There were no significant differences in the abundance, richness, and diversity of sipunculans between coral skeletons; and within samples there was high variability suggesting that the skeletal substrates analysed came from coral skeletons of different unknown ages of succession. These results describe the sipunculan community structure that live inside three important massive coral skeletons, and contributes to the knowledge of the cryptobiota diversity of the Santa Marta area of Colombia.

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Two new species and new records of Psychoda Latreille (Diptera: Psychodidae: Psychodinae) from Brazil, with comments on supraspecific classification of the genus

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.1298.1.1 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 1298 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

FREDDY BRAVO ◽

DANILO CORDEIRO ◽

CINTHIA CHAGAS

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

New Species ◽

New Records ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

New Classification ◽

Two New Species ◽

The Caribbean ◽

First Time

Two new species of Brazilian Psychoda Latreille are described, and Psychoda alternata Say and P. zetoscota Quate are recorded for the first time from Brazil. Psychoda divaricata Duckhouse, already described from southern Brazil, was recorded in the northeastern part of that country, as well as in the eastern Amazon region. The supraspecific classification proposed for the species of Psychoda according to Quate (= Psychodini of Jeñek) are discussed. A new classification is suggested that considers only one genus, Psychoda, divided into 12 subgenera: subgenus Psychoda Latreille, subgenus Copropsychoda Vaillant, subgenus Falsologima Jeñek & Harten, subgenus Psychodula Jeñek, subgenus Psychomora Jeñek, subgenus Psychana Jeñek & Harten, subgenus Logima Eaton, subgenus Tinearia Schellenberg, subgenus Chodopsycha Jeñek, subgenus Ypsydocha Jeñek, subgenus Psychodocha Jeñek, and subgenus Psycha Jeñek. A list of the Psychoda species from Latin America and the Caribbean region is presented.

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Zooxanthellae (Symbiodinium, Dinophyceae) symbioses on coral reefs

Microbiology Australia ◽

10.1071/ma09067 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 67

Author(s):

Madeleine JH van Oppen ◽

Ingo Burghardt

Keyword(s):

Calcium Carbonate ◽

Coral Reefs ◽

Nutrient Cycling ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Scleractinian Corals ◽

Tropical Waters ◽

Stony Corals ◽

Carbonate Deposition ◽

Calcium Carbonate Deposition

The large three-dimensional structures that make up coral reefs are primarily the product of calcium carbonate deposition by zooxanthellate scleractinian corals, i.e., stony corals living in symbiosis with dinoflagellate algae of the genus Symbiodinium (a.k.a. zooxanthellae). This photosymbiosis permits fast nutrient cycling in the generally oligotrophic tropical waters.

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Life stage descriptions, taxonomic notes, and new records for the mayfly family Leptohyphidae (Ephemeroptera)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.332.1.1 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 332 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

DAVID E. BAUMGARDNER ◽

STEVEN K. BURIAN ◽

DAVID BASS

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Central America ◽

New Records ◽

Life Stage ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Larval Stages ◽

Caribbean Islands ◽

Ecological Region ◽

The Caribbean ◽

First Time

The larval stages of Tricorythodes fictus Traver, T. cobbi Alba-Tercedor and Flannagan, and T. mosegus Alba-Tercedor and Flannagan are described for the first time based upon reared specimens. The rarely reported Asioplax dolani (Allen) is newly documented from the Austroriparian ecological region of Texas. Leptohyphes zalope Traver, known from the southwestern United States and much of Central America, is newly documented from the Caribbean Islands of Grenada and Tobago. This represents only the second leptohyphid mayfly known from both Continental America and the Caribbean region. Additional Caribbean records of Allenhyphes flinti (Allen) are also given.

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New records, range extensions and updated distribution of two gymnophthalmid lizards from the Caribbean Region, Colombia

Check List ◽

10.15560/11.5.1735 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1735

Author(s):

Fabio Leonardo Meza-Joya ◽

Eliana Ramos-Pallares

Keyword(s):

Geographical Distribution ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

New Records ◽

Wide Distribution ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Detailed Knowledge ◽

Distribution Map ◽

The Caribbean

In Colombia, detailed knowledge of the geographic distribution of gymnophthalmid lizards is scarce. This paper presents the first confirmed records of Leposoma rugiceps and provides additional records of Gymnophthalmus speciosus from Department of La Guajira, in the Colombian Caribbean Region. These records extend the geographical distribution of both species and support their wide distribution in the lowlands of north of Colombia. Furthermore, we provide an updated distribution map with known occurrences of these species in Colombia.

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