Corresponding author: Jen Nie Lee (
Academic editor: James Reimer
We present a comprehensive checklist of scleractinian (hard) corals for the Mersing Islands, Malaysia based on surveys conducted at 24 reefs across protected and unprotected marine areas. A total of 261 species of corals from 16 families and one
Lee JN, Adzis KAA, Afiq-Rosli L, Tanzil JTI, Chan AA, Ismail MN, Akmal KF, Affendi YA (2022) Scleractinian coral (Cnidaria, Hexacorallia, Scleractinia) diversity of the Mersing Islands, Peninsular Malaysia. ZooKeys 1102: 177–190.
Scleractinian corals, commonly referred to as hard corals, are a group of animals belonging to the order
Malaysia, as a megadiverse country, is dedicated to fulfilling the Convention on Biological Diversity (
The Mersing Islands comprise one of the largest archipelagos off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. With 58 islands (
The study area comprised islands on the east coast of Johor, Peninsular Malaysia, referred to as the Mersing Islands. Underwater surveys were carried out during two expeditions, one in 2012 (“Marine Park Biodiversity Expedition)” and one in 2016 (“Johor 8 Islands Expedition”). Parts of the Mersing Islands (Fig.
Survey areas at the Mersing Islands. Johor Marine Park protected area are two nautical miles away from the low tide shoreline of each gazetted island
Coral species diversity surveys were conducted at Pulau Aur, Pulau Pemanggil, Pulau Besar, Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi (Fig.
Corals were identified to species level based on distinct features of their morphological structure according to
A total of 261 scleractinian coral species from 16 families and one
Checklist of scleractinian corals from the Mersing Islands according to (a)
Order |
a | b | c | Abundance (sensu Veron, 2000) | IUCN Status |
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Family |
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/ | Sometimes common |
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/ | Sometimes common |
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Sometimes common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | Unknown |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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* |
/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
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/ | / | Rare |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Sometimes common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Rare |
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* |
/ | Sometimes common |
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/ | Sometimes common |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Usually rare |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Seldom common |
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Sometimes common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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Famili |
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* |
/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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* |
/ | Unknown |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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Famili |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Rare |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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Famili |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Unknown |
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/ | Unknown |
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/ | Unknown |
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/ | / | Unknown |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
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Famili |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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Famili |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | Rare |
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/ | / | / | Seldom common |
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/ | / | Seldom common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Uncommon |
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Famili |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | Rare |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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* |
/ | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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Famili |
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Uncommon |
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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* |
/ | Usually uncommon |
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/ | Seldom common |
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/ | / | / | Rare |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | / | / | Common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | / | Sometimes common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Usually rare |
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/ | / | Common |
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Famili |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Rare |
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/ | Common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
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/ | Sometimes common |
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/ | Uncommon |
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/ | Less common |
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/ | Common |
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/ | / | Rare |
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
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/ | / | Uncommon |
|
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/ | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | Sometimes common |
|
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
|
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | Rare |
|
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
|
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/ | Usually uncommon |
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* |
/ | Uncommon |
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/ | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | / | Uncommon |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | / | / | Uncommon |
|
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/ | / | Sometimes common |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | / | Usually common |
|
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/ | / | Uncommon |
|
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/ | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | Rare |
|
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/ | / | Uncommon |
|
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/ | / | / | Uncommon |
|
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/ | Rare |
|
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* |
/ | Rare |
|
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | Common |
|
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/ | Uncommon |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | Sometimes common |
|
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/ | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | / | Usually uncommon |
|
||
/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | Rare |
|
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Famili |
|||||
/ | / | Common |
|
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
|
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Famili |
|||||
/ | / | Unknown |
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Famili |
|||||
/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | Common |
|
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/ | *Common |
|
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/ | / | Common |
|
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* |
/ | Common |
|
||
/ | Common |
|
|||
/ | / | Common |
|
||
Famili |
|||||
/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | Common |
|
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* |
/ | Unknown |
|
||
/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | Uncommon |
|
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/ | Usually uncommon |
|
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/ | Uncommon |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
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/ | Common |
|
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/ | common |
|
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/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | Sometimes common |
|
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/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
|
|
/ | Uncommon |
|
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/ | Common |
|
|||
/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | Common |
|
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/ | Sometimes common |
|
|||
/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | / | / | Common |
|
|
Famili |
|||||
/ | / | / | Sometimes common |
|
|
/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | / | / | Usually uncommon |
|
|
/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | Uncommon |
|
|||
/ | Uncommon |
|
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Famili |
|||||
/ | Uncommon |
|
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Famili |
|||||
/ | Rare |
|
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/ | / | / | Common |
|
|
/ | Uncommon |
|
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Famili |
|||||
/ | Uncommon |
|
|||
/ | / | Rare |
|
||
/ | / | Common |
|
||
/ | / | / | Common |
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New records of scleractinian corals for the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia
Of the 16 families recorded,
The current study provides an updated species checklist of scleractinian corals from coral reefs around the Mersing Islands. A total of 261 scleractinian species were recorded, including ten new records for the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, from where 398 species were previously reported (
The ten new records of coral species for the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia found during this study are known to be widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean (east coast of Africa to Japan and Melanesia) (
Biodiversity and taxonomic studies on the scleractinian corals of Peninsular Malaysia are in their infancy compared to neighbouring regions, e.g., Singapore (
We thank the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (formally known as Department of Marine Park Malaysia during both expeditions); EKOMAR from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; and Institute of Biological Sciences and Team Sea Habitats from Universiti Malaya for organizing the expeditions. This study was supported by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia. We also express our special thanks to the reviewers and academic editor, who provided comments that helped improve the manuscript.