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THE RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY 2004 52(2): 285-288© National University of Singapore

NEW RECORDS OF STONY CORALS FROM THE PHILIPPINES PREVIOUSLYKNOWN FROM PERIPHERAL AREAS OF THE INDO-PACIFIC

Wilfredo Y. LicuananBiology Department and Shields Marine Station, De La Salle University,

2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, PhilippinesEmail: licuananw@dlsu.edu.ph

Emmi B. CapiliThe Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines

Email: emmi@upmsi.ph

ABSTRACT. – New Philippine records of coral species are described here namely Cantharellus noumeaeHoeksema & Best, 1984; Stylophora kuehlmanni Scheer & Pillai, 1983; and Acropora halmaherae Wallace& Wolstenholme, 1998. Stylophora danae Milne Edwards & Haime, is also added again to the Philippineinventory to update previous lists. These species were previously reported only from areas peripheral to theIndo-West Pacific (IWP). These findings further emphasize the high diversity of coral fauna in the IWP,and in the case of Stylophora, may even suggest a shift of the genus’ center of diversity from the Red Seato the IWP.

KEY WORDS. – stony corals, Philippines, Indo-Pacific, new records.

INTRODUCTION

The Philippines, being in the Indo-West Pacific center ofdiversity for corals, is among the top three countriesworldwide in terms of number of coral species. Based onvisual records of Veron and Fenner (2000), the Philippineshas 462 species of scleractinian corals compared to 362 inPapua New Guinea (Veron, 1998), and 581 in Indonesia(Veron, 2002a). Recent studies though have changed thesenumbers and these countries’ rankings (Fenner, pers. comm.),with many new species being described. Veron (2000)observed 21 new species in a two-week survey in onePhilippine island group alone, a number which is reportedlymore than the average number of new species describedglobally in a year. Thirteen of the 21 had the Philippines asthe type locality (Veron, 2002b). In a recent study, he added85 new records of corals not previously known from thePhilippines (Veron & Fenner, 2000).

Is the Philippines where a large number of widespread speciesranges overlap? Or are there simply more endemic speciesin the country? These and related questions remainunanswered mainly because of the paucity of detailed, sitespecific, taxonomic inventories conducted in the Philippines,as well as in many parts of Southeast Asia. Veron (1995)listed 12 species to be endemic to Indonesia and thePhilippines. Subsequent studies suggest that Montipora setosamay be the only coral now known to be endemic to thePhilippines (Fenner, pers. comm.). The reasons for the highdiversity in the Philippines remain unresolved.

Here we describe four corals that were collected from varioussites from the Philippines (see figure 1), namely Cantharellusnoumeae Hoeksema & Best, 1984; Stylophora danae MilneEdwards & Haime; Stylophora kuehlmanni Scheer & Pillai,1983; and Acropora halmaherae Wallace & Wolstenholme,1998 that were previously known only from peripheral areasof the Indo-Pacific (but see comments on S. danae below).Aside from increasing the number of species reported fromthe Philippines to 468 after the 464 reported by Veron andFenner (2000) and the three added by Licuanan & Capili(2003), the finding of these species in the Philippines suggestthe need to re-examine the ranges of species previouslythought to be localized. In the case of the genus StylophoraSchweigger, this may even suggest a shift in the center ofdiversity from the Red Sea to the Indo-West Pacific (IWP).

All corals are currently deposited at the Marine ScienceInstitute of the University of the Philippines.

TAXONOMY

FAMILY FUNGIIDAE

Cantharellus Hoeksema & Best

Remarks. – Unlike most other fungiid corals, members ofthe genus Cantharellus are solitary, cup-shaped and attached

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to the substrate. The polyps consist of a single to numerouscentres with septo-costae having fine granulations.Cantharellus can be found in the Indo-West Pacific, westernand eastern Australia, southern Africa and the Red Sea. Thereare at least three species of Cantharellus: C. noumeae hasbeen reported in New Caledonia, western and easternAustralia and the Red Sea (Hoeksema, 1989; Veron, 1993;Veron, 2000), C. jebbi Hoeksema, 1993, has been reportedto be widespread in the IWP including the Philippines, andC. doederleini (Marenzeller, 1907) from the Red Sea andwestern Indian Ocean (Veron, 2000). Here, we describe aspecimen of C. noumeae from the Philippines extending itsrange more to the north of the Indo-West Pacific.

Cantharellus noumeae Hoeksema & Best(Fig. 2)

Cantharellus noumeae Hoeksema & Best, 1984: 323-328, figs. 2-9; Hoeksema, 1989: 212-215; Veron, 2000 vol. 2: 252.

Cycloseris noumeae – Veron, 1986: 32; Veron & Marsh, 1988: 81.

Material examined. – One sample (11.5 cm long by 10.5 cm wideby 6.1 cm tall) (P1L01385), Pagbilao Grande Island, Quezon,southern Luzon (map coordinates: 13.91046°N, 121.73613°E,Depth: 6 m), coll. Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, 27 Nov.2002.

Description. – Corallum 11.5 cm in diameter, encrusting,composed of 8-13 irregular, somewhat tiered, fan-like lobesof septo-costae radiating from 31 corallite centers 2 to 5.4cm in diameter. Septo-costae of four to five orders. First

order septa exsert, with fine club-like, branched dentationsall throughout their margins. These reach the columella andextend to the lobe margin without branching. Second ordersepta less exsert but are also unbranched and have the sametype of septal margins. These higher order septa typicallydo not extend to the corallite center. Third order septa areusually found between the second and first orders and arecomposed of two to three fourth order septa. The latter fuseabout a fourth to a third the way from the lobe margin tobecome the third order septa. For every three fourth orderbranches of septa, the central one does not usually branchwhile the two lateral to it may branch to two fifth order septa,each near the lobe margins. Compound synapticulae connectthe septa laterally. The sides of the septa have numerousgranulations. Columella composed of vertical pencil-liketrabeculae and lobe-like extensions of the first order septa.Costae are equal to sub-equal and have similar margins asthe septa. They remain distinct up to the point of attachment.

FAMILY POCILLOPORIDAE

Stylophora Schweigger

Remarks. – Unlike other coral genera, the center of diversityof Stylophora is in the western Indian Ocean and the RedSea (Veron, 1995) and not in the Indo-West Pacific. S.kuehlmanni and S. danae, both described here, have beenrecorded from the Red Sea (Scheer & Pillai, 1983). Nemenzo(1964, 1986) described S. danae from Puerto Galera, OrientalMindoro in western Philippines but the species is not reflectedin Veron & Hodgson (1989) nor in Veron & Fenner (2000),hence this report.

Stylophora danae Milne Edwards & Haime(Fig. 3)

Stylophora danae Scheer & Pillai, 1983: 23. Nemenzo, 1964: 205-206, Plate IV,2;1986: 14-15, Fig. 8; Veron, 2000 Vol 2: 63.

Material examined. – Three samples. First sample (19.2 cm longby 15 cm wide by 7.5 cm tall) (P1L01121), Borongan, Eastern

Fig. 2. Colony and close-up of Cantharellus noumeae (P1L01385).

Fig. 1. Collection sites for the new records in the towns of Casiguran,Aurora; Pagbilao, Quezon; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Dapa, Surigaodel Norte; Tandag, Surigao del Sur; and northern Lianga Bay,Surigao del Sur.

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Samar (11.63081°N, 125.49317 °E, Depth: 12 m), coll. WilfredoY. Licuanan, 1 Dec.2001; Second sample (10.5 cm long by 10 cmwide by 7 cm tall) (P1L01388), Dapa, Surigao del Norte (9.69717°N, 126.08331 °E, Depth: 9 m), coll. Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, 30Apr.2003; Third sample (18 cm long by 22.5 cm wide by 9.5 cmtall) (P1L01461), Tandag, Surigao del Sur (9.11592 °N, 126.22297°E, Depth: 11 m), coll. Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, 8 May.2003.

Description. – Corallum (P1L01121) is composed offlattened, prostrate branches that are wider and flatter at thetips than at the base, with a tendency to form tiers. Flattenedbranches up to 10 cm in length with short, vertical, bluntbranchlets of up to 2.5 cm in height. Corallite sizes of 0.8mm to 0.9 mm with one cycle of septa and a styliformcolumella. Thecal rim is raised on one side forming asomewhat indistinct hood extended by flattened, radially-arranged spines. Hood orientation may vary from coralliteto corallite regardless of position along the branch.Intercolumellar distances range from 1-2 mm on the brancheswith corallites becoming sparser at the corallum base. Porouscoenosteum is covered by shorter, unbranched spines thathave a tendency to form rows.

The prostrate branches and the limited development of hoods(as described by Scheer & Pillai, 1983) that face differentdirections (as described by Veron, 2000) distinguish thisspecies from other Stylophora especially S. pistillata Esper,1797. The latter may have blunt ended branches with limiteddevelopment of hoods and similar coenosteum, but willsometimes have two cycles of septa (Veron, 2000).

Stylophora kuehlmanni Scheer & Pillai(Fig. 4)

Stylophora kuehlmanni Scheer & Pillai, 1983: 25; Veron, 2000 Vol2: 62.

Material examined. – One sample (19.5 cm long by 16.7 cm wideby 12.2 cm tall) (P1L00542), Casapsapan, Casiguran, Aurora(16.33685 °N, 122.20528 °E, Depth: 12 m), coll. Wilfredo Y.Licuanan, 14 May.2001.

Fig. 3. Colony and close-up of Stylophora danae (P1L01121).

Description. – Corallum is composed of short, anastomosing,knobby to pointed branchlets, 2.5 cm diameter at the baseand 0.5 cm at the tip. Corallites at the branch sides stronglyhooded on the upper margins, with the pointed hoodsextending over the columella. The corallites are denselyspaced near the branch tips, becoming sparser and lessinclined at the base of the corallum. Corallite diameter about1.0 mm with one cycle of septa fusing with the prominentstyliform to sometimes flattened columella. Coenosteum ismostly covered by small spines.

Corallites of this specimen are far larger, and the branchesare not as prostrate, as described by Scheer & Pillai (1983);but conforms with the description of Veron (2000) especiallywith regards to branch diameters and strongly hoodedcorallites. Stylophora subseriata (Ehrenberg, 1834) hassimilar branches but has little development of corallite hoods(Veron, 2000).

FAMILY ACROPORIDAE

Acropora Oken

Remarks. – The genus Acropora is the largest genus of stonycorals with 113 species in Wallace, 1999 and 170 species inVeron, 2000. Of Wallace’s 113, 73 species are found insoutheast Asia. Only 13 species are found to be endemic tocertain areas of the Indo-Pacific while the rest are widespreadfrom the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean (Wallace, 1999).However, the central Indo-Pacific region has the highestdiversity of Acropora mainly brought about by the continuingrange expansion of the species from both the Indian andPacific oceans (Wallace, 1999). Acropra halmaherae wasclassified by Wallace (1999) under the Acropora horridagroup along with seven other species that are usually foundin subtidal sheltered habitats.

Acropora halmaherae Wallace & Wolstenholme(Fig. 4)

Acropora halmaherae Wallace & Wolstenholme, 1998: 258-260;Wallace 1999: 296-297.

Acropora parilis Veron, 2000 Vol 1: 410

Fig. 4. Colony and close-up of Stylophora kuehlmanni (P1L00542).

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Material examined. – One sample (30.3 cm long by 30.4 cm wideby 14.2 cm tall) (P1L01202), northern Lianga Bay, Surigao del Sur,(8.66666 °N, 126.2 °E, Depth: 8m), coll. Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, 22Jan.2002.

Description. – Corallum arborescent with widely-spaced finebranches, 8-11 mm in diameter at the base tapering tobranchlets 5-6 mm near the tips. Incipient branches arecommon, and form almost perpendicular to the main branchnear the corallum base. Axial corallites 1.0 mm outerdiameter, 0.6 mm inner diameter with primary septa extendingfrom one-half to three-fourths the corallite radius. Secondarysepta are reduced to ridges or absent. Radial corallites aboutthe same diameter as the axial corallite. These are crowdedbut not touching, tubular round to nariform in shape, butmostly the former. Radials usually with prominent directivesthat may extend past the calice center. Coenosteum reticulate,with simple to elaborate spinules arranged in neat rows.Wallace & Wolstenholme (1998) describes this species asbeing similar to A. derawanensis Wallace, 1997 except forthe latter’s smaller branch diameter, shorter branches withmore widely spaced radials and a coenosteum with finerspinules. Veron (2000) synonymizes A. halmaherae with A.parilis (Quelch, 1886) but the latter is distinct in that it haslarger and more exsert axial corallites, and radial corallitesthat grow longer near the branch tips.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the De La Salle University Research Faculty Grantsscheme, the Philippine Department of Science andTechnology, and the Department of Environment and NaturalResources-ASEAN Regional Centre for BiodiversityConservation, Worldwide Fund for Nature-Philippines, andMaunsell Philippines, Inc. for their support. Special thanksto the Eastern Samar State College, Surigao del SurPolytechnic State College, ZC Faustino, D Fenner, NMacalalad, MCD Malay, MJR Malayang, MLS Medina, JAM

Fig. 5. Colony and close-ups of Acropora halmaherae (P1L01202).Inset of radial corallites taken at 8x magnification with micrometer(1-18mm) scale as guide. Inset of axial corallite taken at 32xmagnification with micrometer (1-4 mm) scale as guide.

Palma, DJC Raymundo, and MRE Soria for assistance duringthe field studies and in gathering literature.

LITERATURE CITED

Hoeksema, B. W., 1989. Taxonomy, Phylogeny and Biogeographyof mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae). ZoologischeVerhandelingen, 24:1-295.

Hoeksema, B. W. & M. B. Best, 1984. Cantharellus noumeae (gen.nov., spec. nov.), a new scleractinian coral (Fungiidae) fromNew Caledonia. Zoologische Mededelingen, Leiden, 58:323-328.

Licuanan, W. Y. & E. B. Capili, 2003. Range extensions of JapaneseScleractinia to the Philippines. Galaxea, 5:63-67.

Nemenzo, F., 1964. Systematic studies on Philippine shallow-waterscleractinians: V. Suborder Astrocoeniida (part.). Natural &Applied Science Bulletin, 18(3-4):193-223.

Nemenzo, F., 1986. Guide to Philippine Flora and Fauna: Corals.Natural Resources Management Center, Ministry of NaturalResources and University of the Philippines. pp 271.

Scheer, G. & C. S. G. Pillai, 1983. Report on the stony corals fromthe Red Sea. Zoologica (Stuttgart), 133:98 .

Veron, J. E. N., 1986. Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific.Angus and Robertson, North Ryde (N.S.W.) pp 644.

Veron, J. E. N., 1993. A biogeographic database of hermatypiccorals: species of the central Indo-Pacific, genera of the world.Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph Series vol.10. p. 9.

Veron, J. E. N., 1995. Corals in space and time; the biogeographyand evolution of the scleractinia. UNSW Press, Sydney, pp 280.

Veron, J. E. N., 1998. Corals of the Milne Bay Region of PapuaNew Guinea. In: Werner, T. B. & G. R. Allen (eds.), A RapidBiodiversity Assessment of the coral reefs of Milne Bay Province,Papua New Guinea. RAP Working Papers 11. ConservationInternational, Washington, D.C. pp 26.

Veron, J. E. N., 2000. Corals of the World. Australian Institute ofMarine Science. 3 volumes.

Veron, J. E. N., 2002a. Reef corals of the Raja Ampat Islands, PapuaProvince, Indonesia. Part I. Overview of Scleractinia. In:McKenna, S. A., G. R. Allen & S. Sueryadi (eds.), A RapidMarine Assessment of the Raja Ampat Islands, Papua Province,Indonesia. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 22.Conservation International, Washington, D.C. pp. 26-27.

Veron, J. E. N., 2002b. New species described in ‘Corals of theWorld’. Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph seriesvol. 11. pp. 205.

Veron, J. E. N. & D. Fenner, 2000. Corals (ZooxanthellateScleractinia) of the Calamianes Islands, Palawan Province,Philippines. In: Werner, T. B. & G. R. Allen (eds.), A RapidMarine Biodiversity Assessment of the Calamianes Islands,Palawan Province, Philippines. RAP Bulletin of BiologicalAssessment 17. Washington, D.C. Conservation International.pp. 24-26, 66-74.

Veron, J. E. N. & G. Hodgson, 1989. Annotated Checklist of theHermatypic Corals of the Philippines. Pacific Science,43(3):234-287.

Veron, J. E. N. & L. M. Marsh, 1988. Hermatypic Corals of WesternAustralia. Records and annotated species list. Records of theWestern Australian Museum Supplement, 29:1-136,

Wallace, C. C., 1999. Staghorn Corals of the world. CSIROPublications, Melbourne. pp 421.

Wallace, C. C. & J. Wolstenholme, 1998. Revision of the coral genusAcropora (Scleractinia: Astrocoeniina: Acroporidae) inIndonesia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 123:199-384.