Abstract
The ‘temperate’ reef coral Coscinaraea marshae Wells, 1962, is reported from Siberut Island (West Sumatra, Indonesia), a near-equatorial locality, 3375 km away from its northernmost range limit in Western Australia, where it is considered a high-latitude endemic. This tropical record suggests that the latitudinal distributions of poorly recorded reef corals may not yet be fully understood, which might be relevant in the light of progressing seawater warming.
Highlights
Coscinaraea marshae Is Not aAs a result of on-going marine biodiversity surveys, species continue to be discovered as new to science or as representatives of new locality records, especially on coral reefs in marine biodiversity hotspots, such as the Central Indo-Pacific
Such discoveries become increasingly intriguing when taxa are spotted in unexpected localities far outside their known range, such as the zooxanthellate scleractinian coral Echinomorpha nishihirai (Veron, 1990) which has been located in the Great Barrier Reef, instead of its type locality in southern Japan [1]; and the azooxanthellate scleractinian Astrangia woodsi Wells, 1955, first assumed to be a southern Australian endemic, but recently recorded from the Indian coastline of the eastern Arabian Sea [2]
Another example of a species that has been found at an unexpected locality is the azooxanthellate, cave-dwelling coral Leptoseris troglodyta
Summary
Coscinaraea marshae Is Not aAs a result of on-going marine biodiversity surveys, species continue to be discovered as new to science or as representatives of new locality records, especially on coral reefs in marine biodiversity hotspots, such as the Central Indo-Pacific. Such discoveries become increasingly intriguing when taxa are spotted in unexpected localities far outside their known range, such as the zooxanthellate scleractinian coral Echinomorpha nishihirai (Veron, 1990) which has been located in the Great Barrier Reef, instead of its type locality in southern Japan [1]; and the azooxanthellate scleractinian Astrangia woodsi Wells, 1955, first assumed to be a southern Australian endemic, but recently recorded from the Indian coastline of the eastern Arabian Sea [2]. Because of their biogeographic isolation, only a few tropical marine regions are known to harbour reef coral species that are reputed endemics.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
