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Vol. 51 No. 2, 2012
A New Shallow-Water Species, Polycyathus chaishanensis sp. nov. (Scleractinia: Caryophylliidae), from Chaishan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Mei-Fang Lin1, Marcelo V. Kitahara2, Hiroyuki Tachikawa3, Shashank Keshavmurthy1, and Chaolun Allen Chen1,4,5,6,*
1Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Nangang, Taipei 115, Taiwan
2Comparative Genomic Centre and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville 4810, Australia
3Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba 955-2, Japan
4Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan Univ., Taipei 106, Taiwan
5Department of Life Science, National Taitung Univ., Taitung 950, Taiwan
6Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP)- Biodiversity, Academia Sinica, Nangang, Taipei 115, Tawian
Mei-Fang Lin, Marcelo V. Kitahara, Hiroyuki Tachikawa, Shashank Keshavmurthy, and Chaolun Allen Chen (2012) A small population of a new species of zooxanthellate scleractinian coral, Polycyathus chaishanensis
sp. nov., is described from shallow water (< 3 m) off Chiashan,
Kaohsiung, an uplifted Pleistocene reef located on the southwest coast
of Taiwan. Polycyathus chaishanensis sp. nov. is a zooxanthellate coral associated with Symbiodinium C1 and forms small encrusting colonies. Polycyathus chaishanensis sp. nov. differs from other Polycyathus by having (1) the smallest corallites (2.0-3.7 mm in calicular diameter) reported in the genus Polycyathus;
(2) septa hexamerally arranged in 4 incomplete cycles displaying
dentate or laciniate axial edges; (3) crispate and well-developed pali
before the secondary septa; and (4) light brown pigmented
pali/columellar elements. When expanded, vivid-red to brown polyps rise
considerably above the calice, and long and slender tentacles are
covered with white nematocyst batteries. Polycyathus chaishanensis is the only species of Polycyathus
known from Taiwanese waters and appears to be endemic to a small region
at Chaishan. The small population of this new species raises concerns
as to its vulnerability to natural and anthropogenic threats.
Key words: Scleractinia, Polycyathus chaishanensis, Zooxanthellae, Chaishan, Shallow water.
*Correspondence: Tel: 886-2-27899549. Fax: 886-2-28958059. E-mail:cac@gate.sinica.edu.tw
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