DOCSLIB.ORG

Chemical Versus Structural Defense Against Fish Predation in Two Dominant Soft Coral Species (Xeniidae) in the Red Sea

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Chemical Versus Structural Defense Against Fish Predation in Two Dominant Soft Coral Species (Xeniidae) in the Red Sea Vol. 23: 129–137, 2015 AQUATIC BIOLOGY Published online January 22 doi: 10.3354/ab00614 Aquat Biol OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS Chemical versus structural defense against fish predation in two dominant soft coral species (Xeniidae) in the Red Sea Ben Xuan Hoang1,2,*, Yvonne Sawall1, Abdulmohsin Al-Sofyani3, Martin Wahl1 1Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, GEOMAR, Wischhofstrasse 1-3, 24148 Kiel, Germany 2Institute of Oceanography, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 01 Cada, Nha Trang, Vietnam 3Faculty of Marine Science, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80207, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia ABSTRACT: Soft corals of the family Xeniidae are particularly abundant in Red Sea coral reefs. Their success may be partly due to a strong defense mechanism against fish predation. To test this, we conducted field and aquarium experiments in which we assessed the anti-feeding effect of sec- ondary metabolites of 2 common xeniid species, Ovabunda crenata and Heteroxenia ghardaqen- sis. In the field experiment, the metabolites of both investigated species reduced feeding on exper- imental food pellets in the natural population of Red Sea reef fishes by 86 and 92% for O. crenata and H. ghardaqensis, respectively. In the aquarium experiment, natural concentration of soft coral crude extract reduced feeding on experimental food pellets in the moon wrasse Thalassoma lunare (a common reef fish) by 83 and 85% for O. crenata and H. ghardaqensis, respectively. Moon wrasse feeding was even reduced at extract concentrations as low as 12.5% of the natural crude extract concentration in living soft coral tissues. To assess the potential of a structural anti- feeding defense, sclerites of O. crenata (H. ghardaqensis lacks sclerites) were extracted and mixed into food pellets at natural, doubled and reduced concentration without and in combination with crude extract at 25% of natural concentration, and tested in an aquarium experiment. The sclerites did not show any effect on the feeding behavior of the moon wrasse, indicating that scle- rites provide structural support rather than anti-feeding defense. We conclude that the conspicu- ous abundance of xeniid soft coral species in the Red Sea is likely a consequence of a strong chem- ical defense, rather than physical defenses, against potential predators. KEY WORDS: Chemical defense · Feeding deterrence · Sclerites · Soft coral · Xeniidae · Ovabunda · Heteroxenia · Red Sea INTRODUCTION protection (La Barre et al. 1986), allelopathy (Sam- marco et al. 1983, 1985) and anti-fouling activity Soft corals (Cnidaria, Alcyonacea) are a major (Changyun et al. 2008, Limna Mol et al. 2010). component of the sessile coral reef benthos and These chemical defenses may be as effective as are highly diverse in tropical Indo-Pacific coral reefs biomineralized skeletons in that they protect herma - (Dinesen 1983, Fabricius & Alderslade 2001), includ- typic corals from predation by most reef fishes (Sam- ing the Red Sea (Benayahu & Loya 1977, 1981, marco & Coll 1992). For example, some Alcyoniidae Benayahu 1985, Reinicke 1997). Some soft corals of species (e.g. Sinularia polydactyla, Rhytisma fulvum the families Xeniidae and Alcyoniidae contribute to fulvum) were shown to possess secondary metabo- the diet of coral reef fishes (Gohar 1940). Secondary lites, which protected the soft corals against predation metabolites of some soft corals have been shown to by carnivorous fish (Wylie & Paul 1989, Van Alstyne possess ecological functions including anti-predatory et al.1994, Kelman et al. 1999). A survey by Coll et al. © The authors 2015. Open Access under Creative Commons by *Corresponding author: [email protected] Attribution Licence. Use, distribution and reproduction are un - restricted. Authors and original publication must be credited. Publisher: Inter-Research · www.int-res.com 130 Aquat Biol 23: 129–137, 2015 (1982) showed a high prevalence of toxic species areas (~4 m depth), forming extensive carpets (Be- among the soft coral order Alcyonacea (>50% of the nayahu & Loya 1981, Reinicke 1997). Xeniid ‘colonies’ species) in the central Great Barrier Reef, suggesting consist of numerous conspecific individuals occurring that secondary metabolites, which are active against side by side (Gohar 1940). The family differs from all predators, are common in the Alcyonacea. In an other Octocorallia due to the soft, fleshy consistency extensive study by La Barre et al. (1986), it was found of the colony and its non-retractile polyps (Ashworth that the majority of soft coral taxa in the Great Barrier 1899). Some xeniid species lack stinging nematocysts Reef possess defense mechanisms against fish preda- (Janes 2008), which might reduce their capacity for tion, although toxicity and repellence are not always protection against predators (Vermeij 1978, Bakus related to each other. 1981, McIlwain & Jones 1997). Nevertheless, their Chemical defense against predation may already competitiveness is high, presumably due to their mot - be present in eggs, embryos or larvae of some soft ility as adults, their rapid asexual reproduction (Be- corals (Coll et al. 1989, Kelman et al. 1999, Slattery et nayahu & Loya 1981), and the widespread allelopathy al. 1999, Lindquist 2002) indicating the importance against space competitors and hard coral recruitment of chemical anti-feeding defense throughout the life (Sammarco et al. 1983, Atri genio & Alino 1996). Sec- history of soft corals. In addition to their well-studied ondary metabolites with anti microbial (Kelman et al. anti-feeding role, secondary metabolites of soft corals 1998, 2006) and anti-fouling activity (König et al. may also serve to combat fouling on the surface 1989) also seem to be common in xeniid soft corals. (Bhosale et al. 2002, Limna Mol et al. 2010) and may Indeed, xeniids, like many other soft coral taxa, are protect corals against viral infections (Ahmed et al. remarkably rich in bioactive secondary metabolites 2013). The conspicuous richness of chemical defenses (König et al. 1989, El-Gamal et al. 2005). Some chem- in soft corals (Rocha et al. 2011) may therefore con- ical compounds that have been isolated from xeniid tribute to their remarkable invasion potential (Lages species are considered to be useful candidates in the et al. 2006, Fleury et al. 2008). field of medicine, particularly against cancer cells. In soft corals, chemical defense can be supple- These include the compounds blumiolide A, B and C mented by mechanical defense such as mucus secre- of the species Xenia blumi (El-Gamal et al. 2005), dif- tion (La Barre et al. 1986, Sammarco et al. 1987, ferent umbellacins of the species X. umbellata (El- Harvell & Fenical 1989) or elevated spicule concentra- Gamal et al. 2006) and different xeniolide of the spe- tion (Van Alstyne et al. 1992). Calcium carbonate spic- cies X. blumi, X. novaebrittanniae and X. umbellata ules are common attributes in Octocorallia, as well as (Bishara et al. 2006). To the best of our knowledge, in Porifera, Echinodermata and Ascidiacea (Kingsley their potential chemical defense against fish preda- 1984). The size and shape of the spicules are often tion, which could contribute to their high abundance species-specific and can be used as taxonomic tools in the Red Sea, has not been investigated so far. (e.g. Bayer et al. 1983). In soft corals, they are assum- In this study, we investigated the chemical defense ed to mainly function as structural support for the against fish predation of 2 particularly abundant polyps and colonies (Lewis & Von Wallis 1991, Van xeniid species in the Red Sea, Ovabunda crenata Alstyne et al. 1992, O’Neal & Pawlik 2002), however, and Heteroxenia ghardaqensis. We further studied they can also function as defensive structures. This whether or not chemical defense is enhanced by the was demonstrated for some soft coral species, where presence of sclerites. To this purpose, artificial food fishes rejected sclerites containing artificial food (Van was prepared and charged with crude extract of soft Alstyne et al. 1992, 1994), but not for others (Kelman coral (1) at natural concentration and fed to the reef et al. 1999, O’Neal & Pawlik 2002). The anti-feeding fish community in situ, and (2) at natural and reduced defense by sclerites may be effective only in those concen trations, with and without the addition of scle- parts of the colony where their concentration is partic- rites, and fed to the moon wrasse Thalassoma lunare ularly high (Puglisi et al. 2000). Where sclerites do in aquaria. play a defensive role, their shape, size and abundance de termine their protective efficiency, traits which may differ throughout a coral colony (Sammarco et al. MATERIALS AND METHODS 1987, Van Alstyne et al. 1992, Koh et al. 2000). The family Xeniidae is composed of 34 species and Sample collection and identification is one of the most common and widely distributed oc- tocoral families in the Red Sea (Reinicke 1997). It can Soft coral samples were collected near the city of cover up to 50% of the substrate in some shallow reef Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the central Red Sea. Coral Hoang et al.: Predation defense in soft coral 131 (hard and soft) cover in this area ranged from 36 to sodium hypochlorite to dissolve the tissue and leave 61%, of which the family Xeniidae comprised 7.5 to the sclerites. After 12 h, the supernatant was care- 14% (determined by line intercept transects at 3 to fully decanted and fresh sodium hypochlorite was 4 m depth). The 2 xeniid soft coral species were col- added. This process was repeated until the tissue lected by SCUBA diving in 3 to 6 m depth. Ovabunda was completely dissolved and the sclerites remained crenata was collected at off-shore reefs (10 km from on the bottom of the tube. Sclerites were collected the coast) while Heteroxenia ghardaqensis was col- and rinsed 3 times with distilled water, dried in an lected near-shore (50 m from the coast), where the oven at 80°C until completely dry, and weighed.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Slow Population Turnover in the Soft Coral Genera Sinularia and Sarcophyton on Mid- and Outer-Shelf Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef
    MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 126: 145-152,1995 Published October 5 Mar Ecol Prog Ser l Slow population turnover in the soft coral genera Sinularia and Sarcophyton on mid- and outer-shelf reefs of the Great Barrier Reef Katharina E. Fabricius* Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia ABSTRACT: Aspects of the life history of the 2 common soft coral genera Sinularja and Sarcophyton were investigated on 360 individually tagged colonies over 3.5 yr. Measurements included rates of growth, colony fission, mortality, sublethal predation and algae infection, and were carried out at 18 sites on 6 mid- and outer-shelf reefs of the Australian Great Barrier Reef. In both Sinularia and Sarco- phyton, average radial growth was around 0.5 cm yr.', and relative growth rates were size-dependent. In Sinularia, populations changed very slowly over time. Their per capita mortality was low (0.014 yr.') and size-independent, and indicated longevity of the colonies. Colonies with extensions of up to 10 X 10 m potentially could be several hundreds of years old. Mortality was more than compensated for by asexual reproduction through colony fission (0.035 yr.'). In Sarcophyton, mortality was low in colonies larger than 5 cm disk diameter (0.064 yr-l), and significantly higher in newly recruited small colonies (0.88 yr-'). Photographic monitoring of about 500 additional colonies from 16 soft coral genera showed that rates of mortality and recruitment In the family Alcyoniidae differed fundamentally from those of the commonly more 'fugitive' families Xeniidae and Nephtheidae. Rates of recruitment by larval set- tlement were very low in a majority of the soft coral taxa.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Long Island and It's Adjacent Areas in Middle Andaman, India
    Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences Vol. 47 (01), January 2018, pp. 96-102 Diversity and distribution of gorgonians (Octocorallia) in the Long Island and it’s adjacent areas in Middle Andaman, India J. S. Yogesh Kumar1*, S. Geetha2, C. Raghunathan3 & R. Sornaraj2 1Marine Aquarium and Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), Government of India, Digha – 721428, West Bengal, India. 2Research Department of Zoology, Kamaraj College (Manonmaniam Sundaranar University), Thoothukudi – 628003, Tamil Nadu, India. 3Zoological Survey of India (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), Government of India, M Block, New Alipore, Kolkata - 700 053,West Bengal, India. [E.mail: [email protected] ] Received 05 November 2015 ; revised 17 November 2016 The diversity and distribution of gorgonian were assessed at seven sites at Long Island and it’s adjusting areas in Middle Andaman during 2013 to 2015. A total of 28 species of gorgonians are reported in shallow reef areas. Maximum life form was observed in Guaiter Island and Minimum in Headlamp Patch. A significant positive correlation was observed between the Islands, the species diversity was high for the genera Junceella, Subergorgia and Ellisella. Principal Component Analysis also supported for this three genes. [Keywords: Diversity, Gorgonian, Octocoral, Long Island, Middle Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India] Introduction The gorgonians popularly called as sea In India, the study on gorgonians fans and sea whips are marine sessile taxonomy initiated by Thomson and coelenterates with colonial skeleton and living Henderson15,16 and 50 species were reported of polyps1. They are exceptionally productive and a which 26 species were new from oyster banks of valuable natural asset.
    [Show full text]
  • Microbiomes of Gall-Inducing Copepod Crustaceans from the Corals Stylophora Pistillata (Scleractinia) and Gorgonia Ventalina
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Microbiomes of gall-inducing copepod crustaceans from the corals Stylophora pistillata Received: 26 February 2018 Accepted: 18 July 2018 (Scleractinia) and Gorgonia Published: xx xx xxxx ventalina (Alcyonacea) Pavel V. Shelyakin1,2, Sofya K. Garushyants1,3, Mikhail A. Nikitin4, Sofya V. Mudrova5, Michael Berumen 5, Arjen G. C. L. Speksnijder6, Bert W. Hoeksema6, Diego Fontaneto7, Mikhail S. Gelfand1,3,4,8 & Viatcheslav N. Ivanenko 6,9 Corals harbor complex and diverse microbial communities that strongly impact host ftness and resistance to diseases, but these microbes themselves can be infuenced by stresses, like those caused by the presence of macroscopic symbionts. In addition to directly infuencing the host, symbionts may transmit pathogenic microbial communities. We analyzed two coral gall-forming copepod systems by using 16S rRNA gene metagenomic sequencing: (1) the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina with copepods of the genus Sphaerippe from the Caribbean and (2) the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata with copepods of the genus Spaniomolgus from the Saudi Arabian part of the Red Sea. We show that bacterial communities in these two systems were substantially diferent with Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria more prevalent in samples from Gorgonia ventalina, and Gammaproteobacteria in Stylophora pistillata. In Stylophora pistillata, normal coral microbiomes were enriched with the common coral symbiont Endozoicomonas and some unclassifed bacteria, while copepod and gall-tissue microbiomes were highly enriched with the family ME2 (Oceanospirillales) or Rhodobacteraceae. In Gorgonia ventalina, no bacterial group had signifcantly diferent prevalence in the normal coral tissues, copepods, and injured tissues. The total microbiome composition of polyps injured by copepods was diferent.
    [Show full text]
  • Long-Term Recruitment of Soft-Corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) on Artificial Substrata at Eilat (Red Sea)
    MARINE ECOLOGY - PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 38: 161-167, 1987 Published June 18 Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. Long-term recruitment of soft-corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) on artificial substrata at Eilat (Red Sea) Y.Benayahu & Y.Loya Department of Zoology. The George S. Wise Center for Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978. Israel ABSTRACT: Recruitment of soft corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) on concrete plates was studied in the reefs of the Nature Reserve of Eilat at depths of 17 to 29 m over 12 yr. Xenia macrospiculata was the pioneering species, appealing on the vast majority of the plates before any other spat. This species remained the most conspicuous inhabitant of the substrata throughout the whole study. Approximately 10 % of the plates were very extensively colonized by X. rnacrospiculata, resembling the percentage of living coverage by the species in the surrounding reef, thus suggesting that during the study X. rnacrospiculata populations reached their maximal potential to capture the newly available substrata. The successive appearance of an additional 11 soft coral species was recorded. The species composition of the recruits and their abundance corresponded with the soft coral community in the natural reef, indicahng that the estabhshed spat were progeny of the local populations. Soft coral recruits utilized the edges and lower surfaces of the plates most successfully, rather than the exposed upper surfaces. Such preferential settling of alcyonaceans allows the spat to escape from unfavourable conditions and maintains their high survival in the established community. INTRODUCTION determine the role played by alcyonaceans in the course of reef colonization and in the reef's space Studies on processes and dynamics of reef benthic allocation.
    [Show full text]
  • Preliminary Report on the Octocorals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) from the Ogasawara Islands
    国立科博専報，(52), pp. 65–94 , 2018 年 3 月 28 日 Mem. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Tokyo, (52), pp. 65–94, March 28, 2018 Preliminary Report on the Octocorals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) from the Ogasawara Islands Yukimitsu Imahara1* and Hiroshi Namikawa2 1Wakayama Laboratory, Biological Institute on Kuroshio, 300–11 Kire, Wakayama, Wakayama 640–0351, Japan *E-mail: [email protected] 2Showa Memorial Institute, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4–1–1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–0005, Japan Abstract. Approximately 400 octocoral specimens were collected from the Ogasawara Islands by SCUBA diving during 2013–2016 and by dredging surveys by the R/V Koyo of the Tokyo Met- ropolitan Ogasawara Fisheries Center in 2014 as part of the project “Biological Properties of Bio- diversity Hotspots in Japan” at the National Museum of Nature and Science. Here we report on 52 lots of these octocoral specimens that have been identified to 42 species thus far. The specimens include seven species of three genera in two families of Stolonifera, 25 species of ten genera in two families of Alcyoniina, one species of Scleraxonia, and nine species of four genera in three families of Pennatulacea. Among them, three species of Stolonifera: Clavularia cf. durum Hick- son, C. cf. margaritiferae Thomson & Henderson and C. cf. repens Thomson & Henderson, and five species of Alcyoniina: Lobophytum variatum Tixier-Durivault, L. cf. mirabile Tixier- Durivault, Lohowia koosi Alderslade, Sarcophyton cf. boletiforme Tixier-Durivault and Sinularia linnei Ofwegen, are new to Japan. In particular, Lohowia koosi is the first discovery since the orig- inal description from the east coast of Australia.
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Feeding on Microalgae Assessed with Molecular Trophic Markers
    Molecular Ecology (2013) doi: 10.1111/mec.12486 Coral feeding on microalgae assessed with molecular trophic markers MIGUEL C. LEAL,*† CHRISTINE FERRIER-PAGES,‡ RICARDO CALADO,* MEGAN E. THOMPSON,† MARC E. FRISCHER† and JENS C. NEJSTGAARD† *Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitario de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal, †Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, 10 Ocean Science Circle, 31411 Savannah, GA, USA, ‡Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue St-Martin, 98000 Monaco, Monaco Abstract Herbivory in corals, especially for symbiotic species, remains controversial. To investi- gate the capacity of scleractinian and soft corals to capture microalgae, we conducted controlled laboratory experiments offering five algal species: the cryptophyte Rhodo- monas marina, the haptophytes Isochrysis galbana and Phaeocystis globosa, and the diatoms Conticribra weissflogii and Thalassiosira pseudonana. Coral species included the symbiotic soft corals Heteroxenia fuscescens and Sinularia flexibilis, the asymbiotic scleractinian coral Tubastrea coccinea, and the symbiotic scleractinian corals Stylophora pistillata, Pavona cactus and Oculina arbuscula. Herbivory was assessed by end-point PCR amplification of algae-specific 18S rRNA gene fragments purified from coral tissue genomic DNA extracts. The ability to capture microalgae varied with coral and algal species and could not be explained by prey size or taxonomy. Herbivory was not detected in S. flexibilis and S. pistillata. P. globosa was the only algal prey that was never captured by any coral. Although predation defence mechanisms have been shown for Phaeocystis spp. against many potential predators, this study is the first to suggest this for corals. This study provides new insights into herbivory in symbiotic corals and suggests that corals may be selective herbivorous feeders.
    [Show full text]
  • Zoologische Verhandelingen
    Corals of the South-west Indian Ocean: VI. The Alcyonacea (Octocorallia) of Mozambique, with a discussion on soft coral distribution on south equatorial East African reefs Y. Benayahu, A. Shlagman & M.H. Schleyer Benayahu, Y., A. Shlagman & M.H. Schleyer. Corals of the South-west Indian Ocean: VI. The Alcyo- nacea (Octocorallia) of Mozambique, with a discussion on soft coral distribution on south equatorial East African reefs. Zool. Verh. Leiden 345, 31.x.2003: 49-57, fig. 1.— ISSN 0024-1652/ISBN 90-73239-89-3. Y. Benayahu & A. Shlagman. Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel (e-mail: [email protected]). M.H. Schleyer. Oceanographic Research Institute, P.O. Box 10712, Marine Parade 4056, Durban, South Africa. Key words: Mozambique; East African reefs; Octocorallia; Alcyonacea. A list of 46 species of Alcyonacea is presented for the coral reefs of the Segundas Archipelago and north- wards in Mozambique, as well as a zoogeographical record for the Bazaruto Archipelago in southern Mozambique. Among the 12 genera listed, Rhytisma, Lemnalia and Briareum were recorded on Mozambi- can reefs for the first time and the study yielded 27 new zoogeographical records. The survey brings the number of soft coral species listed for Mozambique to a total of 53. A latitudinal pattern in soft coral diversity along the south equatorial East African coast is presented, with 46 species recorded in Tanza- nia, 46 along the northern coast of Mozambique, dropping to 29 in the Bazaruto Archipelago in southern Mozambique and rising again to 38 along the KwaZulu-Natal coast in South Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Soft Coral Biodiversity and Distribution in East Africa: Gradients, Function and Significance
    Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7-11 July 2008 Session number 26 Soft coral biodiversity and distribution in East Africa: Gradients, function and significance M.H. Schleyer1, Y. Benayahu2 1) Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa 2) Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel Abstract. Soft corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) constitute important reef benthos in East Africa, yet relatively little is known of their distributional gradients, function or significance. Integrated results of published surveys manifest interesting gradients in their diversity, abundance and apparent function. Reef disturbance may result in them becoming dominant, eliciting an alternative stable state in some coral communities. While certain tropical taxa attenuate from north to south, others attain their highest abundance at high latitude; the latter appears to be related to their ability to tolerate sedimentation and more swell-driven turbulence. Once established, soft corals appear to be persistent and long-lived. A long-term monitoring study has nevertheless revealed that they appear to be vulnerable to climate change. Keywords: Soft corals, Alcyonacea, western Indian Ocean, biodiversity gradients Introduction complexity, the deflected currents in question being Soft corals (Octocorallia: Alyonacea) have been the East Madagascan, East African and Mozambique studied on East African reefs at several localities over Currents. Further complex interactions give rise to the the last 15 years, including Tanzania (Ofwegen and Somali and Agulhas Currents at equatorial and higher Benayahu 1992), Mozambique (Benayahu & Schleyer southern latitudes respectively. 1996; Benayahu et al. 2002) and South Africa (Benayahu 1993; Benayahu & Schleyer 1995, 1996; Materials and Methods Ofwegen and Schleyer 1997; Williams 2000; Species lists providing the distributional patterns Williams and Little 2001).
    [Show full text]
  • Table B – Subclass Octocorallia
    Table B – Subclass Octocorallia BINOMEN ORDER SUBORDER FAMILY SUBFAMILY GENUS SPECIES SUBSPECIES COMN_NAMES AUTHORITY SYNONYMS #Records Acanella arbuscula Alcyonacea Calcaxonia Isididae n/a Acanella arbuscula n/a n/a n/a n/a 59 Acanthogorgia armata Alcyonacea Holaxonia Acanthogorgiidae n/a Acanthogorgia armata n/a n/a Verrill, 1878 n/a 95 Anthomastus agassizii Alcyonacea Alcyoniina Alcyoniidae n/a Anthomastus agassizii n/a n/a (Verrill, 1922) n/a 35 Anthomastus grandiflorus Alcyonacea Alcyoniina Alcyoniidae n/a Anthomastus grandiflorus n/a n/a Verrill, 1878 Anthomastus purpureus 37 Anthomastus sp. Alcyonacea Alcyoniina Alcyoniidae n/a Anthomastus sp. n/a n/a Verrill, 1878 n/a 1 Anthothela grandiflora Alcyonacea Scleraxonia Anthothelidae n/a Anthothela grandiflora n/a n/a (Sars, 1856) n/a 24 Capnella florida Alcyonacea n/a Nephtheidae n/a Capnella florida n/a n/a (Verrill, 1869) Eunephthya florida 44 Capnella glomerata Alcyonacea n/a Nephtheidae n/a Capnella glomerata n/a n/a (Verrill, 1869) Eunephthya glomerata 4 Chrysogorgia agassizii Alcyonacea Holaxonia Acanthogorgiidae Chrysogorgiidae Chrysogorgia agassizii n/a n/a (Verrill, 1883) n/a 2 Clavularia modesta Alcyonacea n/a Clavulariidae n/a Clavularia modesta n/a n/a (Verrill, 1987) n/a 6 Clavularia rudis Alcyonacea n/a Clavulariidae n/a Clavularia rudis n/a n/a (Verrill, 1922) n/a 1 Gersemia fruticosa Alcyonacea Alcyoniina Alcyoniidae n/a Gersemia fruticosa n/a n/a Marenzeller, 1877 n/a 3 Keratoisis flexibilis Alcyonacea Calcaxonia Isididae n/a Keratoisis flexibilis n/a n/a Pourtales, 1868 n/a 1 Lepidisis caryophyllia Alcyonacea n/a Isididae n/a Lepidisis caryophyllia n/a n/a Verrill, 1883 Lepidisis vitrea 13 Muriceides sp.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to the Identification of Precious and Semi-Precious Corals in Commercial Trade
    'l'llA FFIC YvALE ,.._,..---...- guide to the identification of precious and semi-precious corals in commercial trade Ernest W.T. Cooper, Susan J. Torntore, Angela S.M. Leung, Tanya Shadbolt and Carolyn Dawe September 2011 © 2011 World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-0-9693730-3-2 Reproduction and distribution for resale by any means photographic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems of any parts of this book, illustrations or texts is prohibited without prior written consent from World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Reproduction for CITES enforcement or educational and other non-commercial purposes by CITES Authorities and the CITES Secretariat is authorized without prior written permission, provided the source is fully acknowledged. Any reproduction, in full or in part, of this publication must credit WWF and TRAFFIC North America. The views of the authors expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the TRAFFIC network, WWF, or the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The designation of geographical entities in this publication and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF, TRAFFIC, or IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The TRAFFIC symbol copyright and Registered Trademark ownership are held by WWF. TRAFFIC is a joint program of WWF and IUCN. Suggested citation: Cooper, E.W.T., Torntore, S.J., Leung, A.S.M, Shadbolt, T. and Dawe, C.
    [Show full text]
  • Diseases of Trees in the Great Plains
    United States Department of Agriculture Diseases of Trees in the Great Plains Forest Rocky Mountain General Technical Service Research Station Report RMRS-GTR-335 November 2016 Bergdahl, Aaron D.; Hill, Alison, tech. coords. 2016. Diseases of trees in the Great Plains. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-335. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 229 p. Abstract Hosts, distribution, symptoms and signs, disease cycle, and management strategies are described for 84 hardwood and 32 conifer diseases in 56 chapters. Color illustrations are provided to aid in accurate diagnosis. A glossary of technical terms and indexes to hosts and pathogens also are included. Keywords: Tree diseases, forest pathology, Great Plains, forest and tree health, windbreaks. Cover photos by: James A. Walla (top left), Laurie J. Stepanek (top right), David Leatherman (middle left), Aaron D. Bergdahl (middle right), James T. Blodgett (bottom left) and Laurie J. Stepanek (bottom right). To learn more about RMRS publications or search our online titles: www.fs.fed.us/rm/publications www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/ Background This technical report provides a guide to assist arborists, landowners, woody plant pest management specialists, foresters, and plant pathologists in the diagnosis and control of tree diseases encountered in the Great Plains. It contains 56 chapters on tree diseases prepared by 27 authors, and emphasizes disease situations as observed in the 10 states of the Great Plains: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. The need for an updated tree disease guide for the Great Plains has been recog- nized for some time and an account of the history of this publication is provided here.
    [Show full text]
  • Search for Mesophotic Octocorals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) and Their Phylogeny: I
    A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 680: 1–11 (2017) New sclerite-free mesophotic octocoral 1 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.680.12727 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Search for mesophotic octocorals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) and their phylogeny: I. A new sclerite-free genus from Eilat, northern Red Sea Yehuda Benayahu1, Catherine S. McFadden2, Erez Shoham1 1 School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel 2 Department of Biology, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711-5990, USA Corresponding author: Yehuda Benayahu ([email protected]) Academic editor: B.W. Hoeksema | Received 15 March 2017 | Accepted 12 May 2017 | Published 14 June 2017 http://zoobank.org/578016B2-623B-4A75-8429-4D122E0D3279 Citation: Benayahu Y, McFadden CS, Shoham E (2017) Search for mesophotic octocorals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) and their phylogeny: I. A new sclerite-free genus from Eilat, northern Red Sea. ZooKeys 680: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3897/ zookeys.680.12727 Abstract This communication describes a new octocoral, Altumia delicata gen. n. & sp. n. (Octocorallia: Clavu- lariidae), from mesophotic reefs of Eilat (northern Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea). This species lives on dead antipatharian colonies and on artificial substrates. It has been recorded from deeper than 60 m down to 140 m and is thus considered to be a lower mesophotic octocoral. It has no sclerites and features no symbiotic zooxanthellae. The new genus is compared to other known sclerite-free octocorals. Molecular phylogenetic analyses place it in a clade with members of families Clavulariidae and Acanthoaxiidae, and for now we assign it to the former, based on colony morphology.
    [Show full text]