Abstract
Twenty-one species are reported for the first time from Koh Tao (Turtle Island) in the Gulf of Thailand. Information and photographs were obtained from local scuba divers in order to census rare ( i.e. , cryptic species or transient species only present during one season) or not previously recorded fish species living on or near coral reefs from the area. This is the first time that species belonging to the families Antennariidae (genera Antennatus and Histrio ), Ophichthyidae (genus Callechelys ), Platycephalidae (genus Thysanophrys ), Plotosidae (genus Plotosus ) and Synanceiidae (genera Inimicus and Synanceia ), and reef-fish genera of several families ( Pseudobalistes, Balistidae; Cyclichthys, Diodontidae; Bolbometopon, Scaridae; and Hippocampus, Syngnathidae), among others, have been recorded in Koh Tao. Of the 21 species reported for the first time from Koh Tao, 7 species ( Antennatus nummifer (Antennariidae), Pseudobalistes marginatus (Balistidae), Monacanthus chinensis (Monacanthidae), Callechelys marmorata (Ophichthyidae), Thysnophrys cf. chiltonae (Platycephalidae), Bolbometopon muricatum (Scaridae) and Synanceia cf. verrucosa (Synanceidae)) are new records for the Gulf of Thailand. To date, 223 species of coral reef fishes belonging to 53 families are known from Koh Tao, including the species found in the present study.
Highlights
Koh Tao is a 19 km2 island located in the Samui archipelago in the western Gulf of Thailand
The present manuscript will further contribute to our knowledge on Koh Tao coral reef fish diversity and can be regarded as an update on the publications by Satapoomin (2000) and Scaps (2006)
It is the first time that species belonging to the families Antennariidae, Ophichthyidae, Platycephalidae, Plotosidae, Scorpaenidae and Synanceiidae and reef-fish genera of several families
Summary
Koh Tao is a 19 km island located in the Samui archipelago in the western Gulf of Thailand. Koh Tao is a granitic island surrounded by fringing reefs and isolated pinnacles consisting principally of granite and boulder formations on which coral grow. As the fish fauna around Koh Tao has been extensively studied (Satapoomin 2000; Scaps 2006), the goal of this study was to obtain information about rare (i.e., cryptic species or species only present during one season, “transient forms”) or species not yet recorded locally by questioning local scuba divers and obtaining photographs in order to augment the previous work. Satapoomin (2000) provided a preliminary checklist of coral reef fishes of the Gulf of Thailand based on previous reports, by Thai researchers and his own observational records, within 8 major reef sites located in the Gulf of Thailand, including Koh Tao As the fish fauna around Koh Tao has been extensively studied (Satapoomin 2000; Scaps 2006), the goal of this study was to obtain information about rare (i.e., cryptic species or species only present during one season, “transient forms”) or species not yet recorded locally by questioning local scuba divers and obtaining photographs in order to augment the previous work. Satapoomin (2000) provided a preliminary checklist of coral reef fishes of the Gulf of Thailand based on previous reports, by Thai researchers and his own observational records, within 8 major reef sites located in the Gulf of Thailand, including Koh Tao
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