New Species Of Soft
Caribbean Coral Found
Two new species of soft
corals were discovered
during an October
expedition to Saba Bank,
Netherlands Antilles,
the largest atoll in the
Caribbean, reported
Science Daily online.
Herman Wirshing, a
graduate student from
the University of Miami
Rosenstiel School of
Marine and Atmospheric
Science's Biology and
Fisheries Division,
joined leading coral
reef experts from Texas
A M University-Corpus
Christi (TAM-CC), and
the Universidad de los
Andes in Colombia, to
help identify and
quantify soft coral and
crustacean species on
the Bank.
The team collected 40
species of soft corals
and nearly 100 different
species of crustaceans
in just ten days of
Scuba diving and
exploration. One of the
likely new species was
found in deep water (70
m), and the other found
to be common in shallow
water (20 m).
Wirshing concludes, “we
will have to do more
work to carefully verify
and describe all of the
diagnostic
characteristics of this
new shallow water
gorgonian, but we can
already conclude that it
belongs to the genus
Pterogorgia, in which so
far only three species
are known.”
The expedition is part
of an ongoing effort
from the Department of
the Environment of the
Netherlands Antilles
(MINA) to develop a
sound management plan
for the Bank.
With funding from USONA,
the organization that
distributes development
funding from the
Netherlands, a project
was started in June of
this year to collect as
much knowledge as
possible about the Bank.
The effort is built upon
previous work in the
region, including the
first rapid assessment
expedition by
Conservation
International in 2006
(which also contributed
a representative to this
expedition) surveys by
the Dutch Hydrographic
Service in 2006 and a
yearlong fisheries
survey conducted in
2000.
The data and samples
research will help
scientists better
understand the natural
history and diversity of
hard and soft coral
ecosystems. |
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