UNEP-WCMC technical report Assessment of distribution information gaps for coral species in Tonga (Version edited for public release) Assessment of distribution information gaps for coral species in Tonga Prepared for The European Commission, Directorate General Environment, Directorate E - Global & Regional Challenges, LIFE ENV.E.2. – Global Sustainability, Trade & Multilateral Agreements, Brussels, Belgium Prepared February 2016 Citation UNEP-WCMC. 2016. Status and occurrence of coral species from Tonga. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge. Copyright European Commission 2016 The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is the specialist biodiversity assessment of the United Nations Environment Programme, the world’s foremost intergovernmental environmental organization. The Centre has been in operation for over 30 years, combining scientific research with policy advice and the development of decision tools. 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Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Identifying the gaps ............................................................................................................................... 2 Recommendations ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 1 Introduction An understanding of species occurrence at the national level is essential to underpin CITES permitting processes. However, current knowledge about the distribution of certain groups in particular countries, such as corals from Tonga, is incomplete. This document provides an overview of the gaps in knowledge of the occurrence of coral species in Tonga, to support discussion of coral species distribution by the SRG. 2 To assess the extent of uncertainty in the information on the occurrence of coral species in Tonga, the European Commission requested that UNEP-WCMC provide an overview of distribution knowledge gaps. This report presents information on; i) species that are thought or predicted to occur in Tonga, but for which a recent or conclusive reference to confirm this distribution is lacking (accordingly, these species are reported in Species+ has having ‘uncertain’ distribution in Tonga); ii) species reported in trade as wild-sourced from Tonga, but Tonga is not reported as a range State in Species+. Identifying the gaps All coral species which are reported to occur in Tonga have a reference associated with the distribution record. Table 1 presents coral species for which Tonga is considered as a range State in Species+, but the distribution is listed as having an ‘uncertain’ distribution in the country. This includes species with a reference published a long time ago (prior to 1950) as well as species listed in the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) range maps (2013) indicating that Tonga is within the species’ expected or possible distribution range, but where there is no published confirmation of occurrence in the country since 1950. Species in Table 1 were also checked against wild-sourced direct or indirect trade reported in the CITES Trade Database, and trade is indicated where relevant. To identify species that may occur in Tonga, but are not listed as occurring in the country in Species+, any species with recorded levels of wild-sourced direct or indirect trade between 2010 and 2014 in the CITES Trade Database were cross-referenced with Species+ to produce a list of species traded from Tonga that are not recorded to occur there according to Species+ (Table 2). Table 1. Coral species included in Species+ with a distribution in Tonga defined as ‘uncertain’. (Defined as Tonga falling within the probable extent of occurrence on Australian Institute of Marine Science maps and cases where any reports of the species occuring in Tonga are older than 1950 or there is no conclusive or recent (post-1950) distribution reference (based on data from Species+ downloaded on 18 December 2015. ‘’ indicates trade was recorded in the species based on data from CITES Trade Database downloaded on 08 January 2016. Trade was reported as both direct and indirect unless otherwise stated). 2 Reference Traded? Reference Traded? Species included in Species included in Species+ Species+ Acanthastrea [A] [A] Alveopora ocellata bowerbanki Alveopora [A] Acropora [A] spongiosa anthocercis Alveopora [A] Acropora aspera [A], [B] verrilliana 3 Acropora Astreopora [A] [A] brueggemanni cucullata Acropora Astreopora [A] [A] caroliniana gracilis [A] Astreopora Acropora clathrata [A] Acropora copiosa [A] randalli [A] Acropora Astreopora scabra [A] Astreopora crateriformis [A] Acropora suggesta [A] exquisita Barabattoia laddi [A] [A, as (direct only) Acropora formosa [A], [B] Caulastraea Caulastrea Acropora furcata [A] furcata] globiceps Coscinaraea [A] Acropora humilis [A], [B] exaesa Coscinaraea Acropora inermis [A] [A] wellsi Acropora insignis [A] (indirect only) Ctenactis Acropora kirstyae [A] [A] albitentaculata [A], [B] Acropora listeri Ctenactis crassa [A] [A] Acropora lovelli Cynarina [A] Acropora nana [A] (direct only) lacrymalis Acropora Cyphastrea [A] [A] palmerae decadia Acropora Echinophyllia [A] [A] paniculata echinata Echinopora Acropora parilis [A] [A] Acropora (direct only) hirsutissima [A] Echinopora prostrata [A] mammiformis Acropora retusa [A] Euphyllia cristata [A] Acropora [A] Euphyllia solitaryensis [A] Acropora glabrescens [A] speciosa Favia danae [A] Acropora Favia maritima [A] [A] tutuilensis Favia veroni [A] [A] Alveopora allingi Favites bestae [A] Alveopora [A, as Diaseris [A] Fungia distorta fenestrata distorta] 3 Reference Traded? Reference Traded? Species included in Species included in Species+ Species+ [A, as Diaseris Leptoseris Fungia fragilis fragilis] [A] gardineri Fungia granulosa [A] Leptoseris [A] Fungia [A] hawaiiensis moluccensis Leptoseris [A] Fungia scruposa [A] incrustans [A, as Leptoseris Fungia sinensis Cycloseris [A] sinensis] mycetoseroides [A, as Leptoseris [A] Fungia tenuis Cycloseris papyracea sinensis], [D] [A] [A, as Leptoseris scabra Fungia vaughani Cycloseris Leptoseris solida [A] vaughani] Leptoseris yabei [A] Goniastrea [A] Lithophyllon palauensis [A] Goniopora mokai [A] Lithophyllon columna [A] undulatum Goniopora minor [A] (indirect only) Lobophyllia hataii [A] Goniopora [A] Lobophyllia pandoraensis [A] Goniopora pachysepta [A] somaliensis Madracis kirbyi [A] [A] Millepora (direct only) Goniopora stokesi [E] Goniopora alcicornis [A] Montipora stutchburyi [A] Goniopora aequituberculata [A] Montipora tenuidens [A] Heliofungia (direct only) australiensis [A] Montipora actiniformis [A] caliculata Herpolitha weberi [A] Montipora capitata [A] Heterocyathus [A] Montipora aequicostatus [A] Heteropsammia capricornis [A] Montipora cochlea [A] Hydnophora crassituberculata [A] (direct only) grandis Montipora digitata [A], [C] Leptastrea bottae [A] Montipora effusa [A] Leptastrea Montipora hispida [A] [A] inaequalis Montipora lobulata [A] Leptastrea [A] Montipora purpurea [A] turtlensis Leptoseris [A] Mycedium explanata [A] mancaoi Pavona bipartita [A] 4 Reference Traded? Reference Traded? Species included in Species included in Species+ Species+ [A] Psammocora Pavona duerdeni [A] Pavona superficialis [A] Sandalolitha explanulata [A] Pavona (direct only) dentata [A] Scapophyllia maldivensis [A] 5 Pectinia alcicornis [A] cylindrica Seriatopora Pectinia elongata [A] [A] caliendrum Pectinia lactuca [A] Seriatopora [A] Pectinia paeonia [A] stellata Physogyra Stylocoeniella [A] [A] lichtensteini armata [A] Stylocoeniella Platygyra contorta [A] Platygyra guentheri [A] Stylophora ryukyuensis [A] Plerogyra simplex [A] subseriata Tubastraea Plerogyra sinuosa [A] [C] micranthus Plesiastrea [A] Turbinaria versipora [A] frondens Pocillopora [A] Turbinaria patula [A] capitata Turbinaria Pocillopora [A] [A] radicalis elegans Zoopilus Pocillopora [A] [A] echinatus ligulata Podabacia [A] crustacea Podabacia [A] motuporensis Porites arnaudi [A] Porites [A] horizontalata