Research Article |
Corresponding author: Jessica Bouwmeester ( jessica.bouwmeester@kaust.edu.sa ) Academic editor: Bert W. Hoeksema
© 2015 Jessica Bouwmeester, Francesca Benzoni, Andrew H. Baird, Michael L. Berumen.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Bouwmeester J, Benzoni F, Baird AH, Berumen ML (2015) Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Scleractinia), a new species of reef coral from the Red Sea. ZooKeys 496: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.496.9433
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A new scleractinian coral species, Cyphastrea kausti sp. n., is described from 13 specimens from the Red Sea. It is characterised by the presence of eight primary septa, unlike the other species of the genus, which have six, ten or 12 primary septa. The new species has morphological affinities with Cyphastrea microphthalma, from which it can be distinguished by the lower number of septa (on average eight instead of ten), and smaller calices and corallites. This species was observed in the northern and central Red Sea and appears to be absent from the southern Red Sea.
Merulinidae, Saudi Arabia, biodiversity, coral reef, taxonomy, KAUST
The genus Cyphastrea Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 has an Indo-West Pacific distribution range, from the Western Indian Ocean to the Central Pacific, and contains 19 nominal species, nine of which are considered valid (
In his revision of the genus, based on macro-morphological characters of the skeleton and the tissue of the coral polyps,
More recent regional work on the taxonomy, biodiversity, and distribution of scleractinian corals in the Red Sea originally recognised two Cyphastrea species in the region, C. microphthalma and C. serailia, synonymising again C. chalcidicum with C. serailia (
The genus Cyphastrea has recently been formally revised within the Merulinidae, incorporating molecular phylogeny, macromorphology, micromorphology, and microstructure (
The genus Cyphastrea is characterised by its compact coenosteum (
Colonies of Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. (13 in total) were sampled on SCUBA in 2013 during several expeditions along the coast of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea, from Magna in the Gulf of Aqaba in the north to the Farasan Islands in the south (Fig.
Micromorphologic characters of Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. compared to C. microphthalma. Average number of septa for seven randomly selected corallites, average calice and corallite width for five randomly selected corallites, and number of corallite centres visible in 1 cm2. Standard deviation is indicated for averages.
Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. | Cyphastrea microphthalma | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
average number septa | MNHN-IK-2012-14236 |
8.0 ± 0.3 | MNHN-IK-2012-14002 |
9.9 ± 0.4 |
SA607 | 8.1 ± 0.4 | SA159 | 9.7 ± 0.8 | |
SA1121 | 8.1 ± 0.7 | SA552 | 9.6 ± 0.5 | |
SA1103 | 7.7 ± 0.8 | SA734 | 9.9 ± 0.4 | |
SA100 | 9.9 ± 0.4 | |||
Average: | 8.0 ± 0.4 | Average: | 9.8 ± 0.5 | |
average calice diameter [mm] | MNHN-IK-2012-14236 |
1.11 ± 0.06 | MNHN-IK-2012-14002 |
1.19 ± 0.09 |
SA607 | 1.04 ± 0.03 | SA159 | 1.37 ± 0.05 | |
SA1121 | 0.83 ± 0.12 | SA552 | 1.34 ± 0.10 | |
SA1103 | 1.05 ± 0.03 | SA734 | 1.28 ± 0.09 | |
SA100 | 1.19 ± 0.09 | |||
Average: | 1.01 ± 0.13 | Average: | 1.27 ± 0.11 | |
average corallite diameter [mm] | MNHN-IK-2012-14236 |
1.77 ± 0.14 | MNHN-IK-2012-14002 |
1.82 ± 0.12 |
SA607 | 1.61 ± 0.09 | SA159 | 2.14 ± 0.11 | |
SA1121 | 1.36 ± 0.11 | SA552 | 2.12 ± 0.17 | |
SA1103 | 1.73 ± 0.07 | SA734 | 2.09 ± 0.05 | |
SA100 | 1.81 ± 0.08 | |||
Average: | 1.62 ± 0.19 | Average: | 2.01 ± 0.18 | |
number corallites per cm2 | MNHN-IK-2012-14236 |
19 | MNHN-IK-2012-14002 |
33 |
SA607 | 11 | SA159 | 19 | |
SA1121 | 31 | SA552 | 11 | |
SA1103 | 19 | SA734 | 11 | |
SA100 | 19 | |||
Average: | 20 ± 8.2 | Average: | 15 ± 4.6 |
KAUST King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
MNHN National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France
Astrea (pars) Lamarck, 1816, not Astrea Lamarck, 1801
Cyphastrea Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848
Solenastrea (pars) Milne Edwards & Haime, 1850, not Solenastrea Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848
Astrea microphthalma Lamarck, 1816; original designation, Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848
Type material. Holotype: MNHN-IK-2012-14236 (KAUST SA1307). Type locality: Fsar (Thuwal), N 22°13.78', E 39°01.73', depth 13.6 m, coll. J. Bouwmeester 20/10/2013.
Paratype: MNHN-IK-2012-14237 (KAUST SA522). Sodfa (Thuwal), N 22°12.07', E 38°57.52', depth 2.0 m, coll. D. Huang, 24/04/2013.
SA443 Qita al Kirsh (Thuwal), N 22°25.60', E 38°59.77', coll. F. Benzoni, 18/03/2013; SA446 Qita al Kirsh (Thuwal), N 22°25.60', E 38°59.77', coll. F. Benzoni, 18/03/2013; SA498 Sodfa (Thuwal), N 22°12.07', E 38°57.52', depth 10.4 m, coll. D. Huang, 24/04/2013; SA607 Abu Madafi (Thuwal), N 22° 3.73', E 38°45.82', depth 6.1 m, coll. J. Bouwmeester, 28/04/2013; SA643 Tahla (Thuwal), N 22°17.04', E 39° 3.10', depth 6-12 m, coll. J. Bouwmeester, 08/07/2013; SA644 Tahla (Thuwal), N 22°17.04', E 39° 3.10', depth 6-12 m, coll. J. Bouwmeester, 08/07/2013; SA973 Magna (Gulf of Aqaba), N 28°24.23', E 34°44.44', coll. F. Benzoni, 29/09/2013; SA1103 Shaybarah (Al Wajh), N 25°21.69', E 36°54.75', coll. F. Benzoni, 03/10/2013; SA1121 Marker 9 (Yanbu), N 24°26.56', E 37°14.86', coll. F. Benzoni, 04/10/2013; SA1165 Marker 9 (Yanbu), N 24°26.56', E 37°14.86', depth 12.5 m, coll. J. Bouwmeester, 04/10/2013; SAE015 Fsar (Thuwal), N 22°13.78', E 39°01.73', depth 12m, coll. J. Bouwmeester, 21/09/2014.
The holotype is part of a 12 cm high and 17 cm wide encrusting colony living on an inclined surface (Figure
The number of primary septa in Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. is typically eight (Figures
In C. kausti sp. n. the calice diameter of the corallite is 1.01 ± 0.13 mm and the corallite diameter is 1.62 ± 0.19 mm. This is smaller than in C. microphthalma, which has a calice diameter of 1.27 ± 0.11 mm and a corallite diameter of 2.01 ± 0.18 mm (Table
The corallite density is highly variable between colonies of Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. but also within a colony, and varies from 11 to 31 corallites per cm2 (e.g. Figures
The first order septa are clearly exsert, the second order septa are weak and never reach the columella, and the third cycle of septa is absent (Figures
Colonies of Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. are encrusting (Figures
This species is named after the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which has facilitated a considerable increase in marine biodiversity research in the Red Sea since its opening in 2009. Moreover, Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. was first observed by the authors on Al Fahal, a reef in front of KAUST, in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. has been recorded in the northern and central Red Sea, from Magna in the Gulf of Aqaba, to Thuwal (Figure
The primary septa cycle contains:
1 | Six primary septa | 2 |
– | Eight primary septa | C. kausti sp. n. |
– | Ten primary septa | C. microphthalma |
2 | Secondary septa cycle absent | C. hexasepta |
– | Secondary septa cycle present | 3 |
3 | Primary and secondary septa alternating | C. chalcidicum |
– | Primary and secondary septa subequal | C. serailia |
Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. is morphologically closest to C. microphthalma based on the presence of a primary and a secondary septa cycle, a missing third septa cycle, a crown of paliform lobes surrounding the columella (although generally more distinct in C. kausti sp. n.), the growth form, the densely ornamented coenosteum, and the density of corallites. The two species can, however, be distinguished by the average number of septa (8.0 ± 0.4 for C. kausti sp. n. and 9.8 ± 0.5 for C. microphthalma) and by the average calice and corallite size (Figure
The simultaneous presence of both male and female gametes in colonies of C. kausti sp. n. during reproductive surveys shows that it is hermaphroditic and likely to spawn in June in the central Red Sea, along with numerous other species including the congeneric C. serailia, and C. chalcidium, while C. microphthalma was observed to spawn in May (
A molecular phylogeny of all Cyphastrea species remains necessary to test and establish species boundaries within the genus. The phylogenetic position of C. kausti sp. n. will be investigated in further work, integrating a molecular as well as a macromorphological and a micromorphological approach.
Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. is described from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea based on morphological analyses. The eight-septa arrangement in the first septa cycle distinguishes it from other described species in the genus. Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. is further recognized by a crown of paliform lobes around the columella and corallite and calice sizes smaller than in C. microphthalma, to which it is morphologically closely related.
We would like to thank Joey DiBattista, Tane Sinclair-Taylor, Mark Priest, the KAUST Coastal & Marine Resource Core Lab for logistic assistance; the skippers and crews of the MV Dream-Master, MV Dream-Island, MV Deep-Sea, and RV KAUST Explorer for technical support, as well as members of the KAUST Reef Ecology Lab and the BBs for assistance in the field and Danwei Huang for collecting additional specimens. We are grateful to Ali Behzad for his help and training with SEM imaging. Funding was provided by KAUST baseline research funding to MLB and award CRG-1-BER-002 to MLB & AHB. We also would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions, which helped improve the manuscript.