Corals of the Solitary Islands, New South Wales

Abstract

Thirty-four species of 18 genera of hermatypic corals and three species of ahermatypic corals occur at the Solitary Islands which lie between 2 and 11 km from the east Australian coastline between 30�01' and 30�14' S. latitude. The appearance and occurrence of each species is described and their inter-island distribution discussed. Transect data from South-west Solitary Island show that dominant species (Goniastrea australensis, cf. Plesiastrea versipora, Favites abdita, Favites halicora, Cyphastrea serailia, Turbinaria danae, Goniopora lobata, Pocillopora danicornis and Acropora hyacinthus) form a 100% cover of the ocean floor in some localities, whereas in others they form a variety of associations with the ascidians, sponges and algae characteristic of equivalent mainland localities. These findings are compared with previously reported distributions of temperate Australian hermatypic corals and are discussed in the light of recent data on the ocean temperature around the Solitary Islands.