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Zoanthid (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) species of coral reefs in Palau

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Abstract

Palau is world famous for its relatively pristine and highly diverse coral reefs, yet for many coral reef invertebrate taxa, few data exist on their diversity in this Micronesian country. One such taxon is the Zoantharia, an order of benthic cnidarians within the Class Anthozoa (Subclass Hexacorallia) that are commonly found in shallow subtropical and tropical waters. Here, we examine the species diversity of zoanthids in Palau for the first time, based on shallow-water (<35 m) scuba surveys and morphological identification to create a preliminary zoanthid species list for Palau. Our results indicated the presence of nine zoanthid species in Palau (Zoanthus sansibaricus, Z. gigantus, Palythoa tuberculosa, P. mutuki, P. heliodiscus, Palythoa cf. toxica, Epizoanthus illoricatus, Parazoanthus sp., Microzoanthus kagerou), apparently slightly more than have been recently observed in nearby Guam, Saipan, and the Ogasawara Islands. Additionally, it appears that some zoanthid species that have been observed to be co-occurring in the fringing reefs of Okinawa may inhabit different locations in the better developed reefs of Palau.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS), “Project for sustainable management of coral reef and island ecosystems: responding to the threat of climate change” in Palau, funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in cooperation with the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) and Palau Community College (PCC). The second and third authors were supported by the Education and Research Foundation of the University of the Ryukyus. Dr. Yimnang Golbuu (PICRC) is thanked for his generous support throughout the course of this research. Jay Oruetamor and Arius Merep at PICRC are thanked for logistical support. Dr. Takashi Nakamura, Dr. Yuen Yeong Shyan, Dr. Keita Koeda, Fabienne Kuenzli, Taiga Kunishima (all University of the Ryukyus), and Akira Chiba (Cruise Control Dive Shop) are thanked for their support in the field. Four anonymous reviewers greatly improved the manuscript. This is contribution Palau-SATREPS #2.

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Correspondence to James Davis Reimer.

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Fig. S1

Examples of different oral disc colors of Zoanthus sansibaricus observed in Palau. Colonies a and b from Site XXIX (2), c to e from Ngerchaol Site 172 (5), and f to g from Ngeruktabel Site 178 (11). Numbers in parentheses correspond to sites in Fig. 1 and Table 1. Scale bars in a to c= approximately 1 cm, in d to g = approximately 0.5 cm. (PDF 379 kb)

Fig. S2

Different morphotypes of Palythoa tuberculosa observed in Palau. Colonies a and b from Lighthouse Channel (4), c and d from Siaes Tunnel (6), and e from Ulong Channel (7). Numbers in parentheses correspond to sites in Fig. 1 and Table 1. All scale bars = approximately 1 cm. (PDF 1584 kb)

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Reimer, J.D., Albinsky, D., Yang, SY. et al. Zoanthid (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) species of coral reefs in Palau. Mar Biodiv 44, 37–44 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-013-0180-5

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