BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE. 00(0):000–000.89(3):745–746. 00002013 doi:10.5343/http://dx.doi.org/10.5343/bms.2013.1051

FIRST REPORT OF THE TABLE CYTHEREA (: ) FROM OAHU (MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS)

Randall K Kosaki, Daniel Wagner, Jason C Leonard, Brian B Hauk, and Kelly A Gleason

The scleractinian table coral (Dana, 1846) is abundant and widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific, where it is found from Madagascar to (Grigg et al. 1981). In the Hawaiian Archipelago, A. cytherea is primarily restricted to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), with greatest abundances at French Frigate Shoals, Gardner Pinnacles, and Maro (Grigg et al. 1981). A handful of NWHI records also exist from Nihoa, Laysan, and Pearl and Hermes (Maragos 1977, Grigg et al. 1981, Asher et al. 2012). In the Main Hawaiian Islands, three A. cytherea colonies have been sighted off the island of Kauai (Maragos 1977, Grigg et al. 1981, Kenyon et al. 2007). All of these records

Bulletin of Marine Science 745 © 20112013 Rosenstiel School of Marine and& Atmospheric Atmospheric Science Science of ofthe the University University of Miamiof Miami Portraits of Marine Science 746 BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE. VOL 00,89, NO 0.3. 00002013 were small colonies (20 × 15 cm, Kenyon et al. 2007) that were not relocated in subsequent surveys of the same region (J Maragos, US Fish and Wildlife Service, pers comm), suggesting that A. cytherea does not persist in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Fossil skeletons of Acropora have been documented from Oahu (Maragos 1977, Grigg 1981); however, no living Acropora colonies have been recorded from Oahu to date, despite being the most accessible and heavily surveyed island in the Hawaiian Archipelago. In January 2013, we observed a single A. cytherea colony at a depth of 18.3 m during closed-circuit rebreather dive surveys off the south shore of Oahu (21°17.201´N, 157°59.273´W). The colony was large (100 × 60 cm), and is therefore likely >14 yrs old using radial growth rates estimates (7 cm yr−1, Grigg 1981). We did not locate any additional A. cytherea colonies, despite surveying an area of >600 m2 surrounding the colony, as well as four additional sites located within 3.75 km of the colony. Our observations are consistent with previous reports of A. cytherea in the Hawaiian Archipelago, which indicate that this becomes progressively less abundant with increasing distance from French Frigate Shoals (Maragos 1977, Grigg et al. 1981, Kenyon et al. 2007, Asher et al. 2012), a pattern that may be due to the recent A. cytherea recolonization of the Hawaiian Archipelago via Johnston Atoll (Grigg 1981). In contrast to previous A. cytherea records from Hawaii, our observations indicate that, while rare, A. cytherea colonies are able to persist in the Main Hawaiian Islands.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to J Cousins, S Godwin, and K Lopes for valuable field support. This work was funded by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, through the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Literature Cited

Asher J, Maragos J, Kenyon J, Vargas-Ángel B, Coccagna E. 2012. Range extensions for several species of Acropora in the Hawaiian Archipelago and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Bull Mar Sci. 88:337–338. http://dx.doi.org/10.5343/ bms.2011.1079 Grigg RW. 1981. Acropora in Hawaii. Part 2. Zoogeography. Pac Sci. 35:15–24. Grigg RW, Wells JW, Wallace C. 1981. Acropora in Hawaii. Part 1. History of the scientific record, systematics, and ecology. Pac Sci. 35:1–13. Kenyon J, Godwin S, Montgomery A, Brainard R. 2007. Rare sighting of Acropora cytherea in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Coral Reefs. 26:309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00338- 007-0198-x Maragos JE. 1977. Order Scleractinia. In: Devaney DW, Eldredge LG, editors. Reef and shore fauna of Hawaii. Section 1: Protozoa through Ctenophora. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press. p. 158–241.

Date Submitted: 7 June, 2013. Date Accepted: 19 June, 2013. Available Online: 28 June, 2013.

Addresses: (RKK, DW, JCL, BBH, KAG) NOAA Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Honolulu, Hawaii 96825. Corresponding Author: (DW) Email: .