2013, 1 (4), 407-418 New and Previous Records of Scleractinian Corals from Chabahar Bay, Sistan & Baluchistan, Iran Teymour Amin Rad1* and Mahmoud Reza Azini1 1 Offshore Fisheries Research Center, Chabahar, Iran. Received: 17 June 2013 / Accepted: 15 April 2014 / Published Online: 15 June 2014 ABSTRACT Based on the morphology and corallites structures, seventeen species of scleractinian corals in seven families were described from the Chabahar Bay, fourteen species of which are being reported for the first time from this bay. The identified species include Acropora valida Dana, 1846, Acropora clathrata Brook, 1891 and Acropora nausta Dana, 1846 belonging to Acroporidae, Favia matthai Vaughan, 1918, Favites complanata Ehrenberg, 1824, Favites flexusa Dana, 1846, Leptastrea purpurea Dana, 1846, Faviafavus Forskal, 1775 and Cyphastrea microphtalma Lamarck, 1816 belonging to Favidae, Acanthastrea hillae Wells, 1955 and Scolymia australis Milne Edwards and Haime, 1849 belonging to Musidae, Pocillopora damicornis Linnaeus, 1758 belonging to Pocilloporidae, Porites solida Forskal, 1775 and Porites compressa Dana, 1846 belonging to Poritidae, Coscinaraea wellis Veron & Pichon, 1980 and Pseudosiderastrea tayami Yab and Sugiyama, 1935 belonging to Siderastreidae and Turbinaria peltata Esper, 1794 belonging to Dendrophylliidae, were identified. Key words: Scleractinian Coral, Identification, New record, Chabahar Bay 1 INTRODUCTION technical terms need to be introduced and The Chabahar Bay is located in the southeastern explained. The calcium carbonate skeleton of part of Iran where the hard corals live in an individual polyp, called the corallite, is a patchesunder fragile circumstances. tube that contains vertical plates radiating from Coral reefs constitute the most diverse and the periphery toward the center. These skeletal complex marine ecosystem. They are highly divisions, or septa (meaning partition), productive with annual gross production rates in correspond to the mesenteries or vertical fold of the range of 2000- 5000g cm through efficient the polyp body stalk. The tube itself is called the retention and recycling nutrients, Coral reefs of wall and the part of the skeleton inside the wall is the world cover an estimated area of 600000 km² the calyx. Adjacent tubes are joined by horizontal (Smith, 1978; Kleypas, 1977). Over half of this skeletal structures, secreted by the lower part of (54%) lies in the Mediterranean India Ocean the body wall between polyps, called coenosteum. (Tamal, 2011). A few species have an additional thin layer of A large part of coral taxonomy is based on skeleton around the wall called epitheca. The wall the morphology of the skeleton and a few and its associated structures include several * Corresponding author: Teymour Amin Rad, Offshore Fisheries Research Center, 99719-56663 Chabahar, Iran. Tel: +98 911 991 4858, E-mail:[email protected] 407 TeymourAmin Rad and Mahmoud Reza Azini ___________________________ ECOPERSIA (2013) Vol. 1(4) skeletal elements which vary in importance in the identified, based on the size and morphological different groups of corals. characters. The studies on taxonomy of coral reefs in In the present study, hard corals collected the southeast coasts of Iran started as early as from July 2010 to May 2011 in Chabahar Bay 2009 by Maghsoudlou in the Gulf of Oman. are being recorded. During this study, 107 coral species were reported (Maghsoudlou, 2011). 2 MATERIAL AND METHODS Due to the extremes in water temperature, The study was conducted at Chabahar Bay in salinity and anthropogenic factors that are close southeastern coasts of Iran (25° 17' N and 60° to the physiological tolerance limits, coral 37' E) during July 2010 to May 2011 (Figure 1). diversity and reef building potential in the south Hard corals were studied through direct Persian Gulf is less than 40 species (Sadeghi, underwater observation and photographing 2009). According to Maghsoudlou (2008), from samples using underwater digital camera 700 identified coral species, only 37 species (Canon G11, 12 megapixels, equipped with have been observed in southern waters of Iran. underwater house) as well as sample 107 and 200 species of them belong to the Gulf collectionfor their detailed morphological of Oman and the Red Sea, respectively. features.For collection, a small piece of colony The identification of hard coral in the Bay of was taken to the laboratory. Identification was Chabahar started with Sadeghi (2008), during confirmed using Veron et al. (2000) and which three species, viz. Faviafavus, Acropora Cleareboudt (2006). valida and Cyphostrea microphthalma were Figure 1 Study Areas of Chabahar Bay (Braulik, 2010) 408 Scleractinian Corals from Chabahar Bay ______________________________ ECOPERSIA (2013) Vol. 1(4) 3 RESULTS nariform opening. This species is close to A. Seventeen hermatypic corals (Order: downingi. A. khayranensis often grows in mixed Scleractinia) were identified at five study sites in communities with A. downingi and A. pharaonis. Chabahar Bay, the following fourteen species of Small colonies of the 3 species look similar, but which being new records from the Oman Sea the difference in growth form become more and along the southeastern coasts of Iran). more apparent in mature colonies. This species has often been referred to as A. valencinensi in 3.1 Systematic earlier studies, but it does not have the numerous Acropora valida, Clareboudt, 2006 (Figure 2a) vertical secondary branchlets of the latter species. Family: Acroporidae (Verrill, 1902) IUCN Red List Category and Criteria: Least Genus: Acropora (Oken, 1815) Concern, 2001. Description: Small rounded corymbose to caespito- Acroporanasuta, Clareboudt, 2006 (Figure 2c) corymbose colonies or thick tables. Corymbose Family: Acroporidae (Verrill, 1902) to caespito-corymbose branches, 7-20 mm Genus: Acropora (Oken, 1815) diameter; axial corallites outer diameter 1.6-2.8 Description: mm, inner diameter 0.7-0.9 mm, primary septa The corymbose colonies usually have a short to 1/2 R, secondary septa to 1/3 R; radial thick stalk. Corymbose branching, branches up corallites similar sizes or a mixture of sizes, to 12 mm in diameter arising from a central to crowded on branch, appressed tubular or tubo- side attachment; axial corallites outer diameter 2.0-3.0 mm, inner diameter 0.6-1.1 mm, nariform, with rounded to slightly elongate primary septa to 3/4 R, secondary septa to 1/4 openings, primary septa to 2/3 R, secondary R; radial corallites evenly arranged nariform septa to 1/4 R; coenosteum reticulate with along branches, forming a neat rosette pattern densely and evenly arranged spinules when viewed from the branch tip, primary septa throughout (Crossland, 1952, Veron and to 2/3 R, secondary septa to 1/4 R; coenosteum Wallace 1984). The known colors are purple densely costate or lines of laterally flattened with yellow corallite tips or purple, brown, or spinules on radial corallites, reticulate with green. Acropora valida has widely distributed scattered spinules in intercorallite areas. The throughout the Indo-Pacific, Persian Gulf and known colors are; pale brown with blue tips, Oman Sea. blue, purple, or green. IUCNRed List Category and Criteria: Least IUCN Red List Category and Criteria: Concern, 2001. Status: Near Threatened, 2001. Acropora khayranensis, Clareboudt, 2006 Favia matthai, Clareboudt, 2006 (Figure 2d) (Figure 2b). Family: Favidae (Verrill, 1902) Family: Acroporidae (Verrill, 1902) Genus: Favia (Oken, 1815) Genus: Acropora (Oken, 1815) Description: Description: Colonies are massive, rounded, flat or encrusting. A. khayranensis is a table species with colonies Corallites are circular and plocoid, with a exceeding sometimes several meters across. diameter of 9-15 mm. Those of colonies from Colonies develop a tabular growth form with turbid biotopes are wider and shallower. Septa are loosely anastomosing branches. Colonies are in three arbitrarily defined orders, with elongated usually dark brown or green with sharp edged inwardly projecting dentations, which are usually 409 TeymourAmin Rad and Mahmoud Reza Azini ___________________________ ECOPERSIA (2013) Vol. 1(4) arranged in one or more concentric circles. Septal oral disk which often appear iridescent. sides are granulated, margins are finely serrated. Colonies are massive, and hemispherical or Paliform lobes with prominently serrated margins flattened. Corallites are angular with calices 15- are only developed on first order septa, usually 20 mm in diameter. Septa are regularly spaced, forming a distinctive paliform crown around the sub-equal and ornated with large denticles but columella. Second order septa do not reach the rarely a paliform lobe. Septa from adjacent columella. Costae are equal and prominently corallites are aligned across the wall. The beaded. The beads of adjacent costae forms are columella is large and shallow. concentric circles which are clearly This species is uncommon but due to its distinguishable in living colonies when polyps are characteristics is rarely missed. It is usually contracted. The columella is compact. The living found at intermediate depth between 5 -15 colonies are mostly in uniform brown, grey or meters in mixed communities. mottled, sometimes with walls and oral discs IUCN Red List Category and Criteria: This contrasting in color. taxon has not yet been assessed for the IUCN IUCN Red List Category and Criteria: Red List. Status: Near Threatened, 2001. Leptastrea purpurea, Clareboudt, 2006 Favites complanata, Clareboudt, 2006