The Corals of Hong Kong

5. A Species List of Hong Kong Corals

5. A Species List o f Hong Kon g Corals The followin g page s contai n informatio n o n individua l cora l specie s found i n Hon g Kong . Al l th e commo n one s ar e included a s well as some uncommon an d rare species . Categories use d under th e headin g 'Abundance' ar e designe d t o giv e a n indicatio n o f th e possibilit y o f encountering thes e corals: Ubiquitous — found almos t anywher e coral s ca n survive . Very common — found a t mos t cora l sites. Common — more likely than not to be included in a species list from a coral community . Uncommon — unlikely t o be included i n a species list o r localized in distribution. Rare — only on e o r a few specimen s recorded . It shoul d be noted that , whil e every attempt ha s been made to provide a comprehensive list , continue d researc h wil l undoubtedl y brin g to light additiona l records. Because of the problems of coral taxonomy — the classificatio n an d namin g o f specie s — som e specie s may , i n future, b e regarded a s sub-species or variations in growth form , whil e other sub-specie s ma y b e promote d t o specie s status . However , th e disputations of the experts bear little relevance and need not concern us unduly. Photographs o f th e colonie s i n lif e ar e intende d t o sho w typica l growth forms , whil e close-ups show details of polyp structure. I n addition , blac k an d whit e photograph s o f calice s giv e informatio n o n features diagnosti c i n taxonomi c identification . Family, growt h form , abundance , averag e colon y size , corallit e diameter an d ecologica l note s accompan y th e photographs . Fig. 4 9 i s a diagrammati c glossar y o f th e terminolog y use d i n growth form descriptions. Most species in Hong Kong are massive colonies , tha t is , they ar e solid , rounde d o r semi-circula r i n form . HYDNOPHOROID฀ PHACELOID฀ RAMOSE฀ MEANDROID฀ DENDROID฀ Fig.฀4 9฀A ฀diagrammati c฀glossar y฀o f฀th e฀term s฀use d฀t o฀describ e฀colon y฀ shape฀an d฀form .฀ 44฀ Stylocoeniella฀guentheri ฀Bassett-Smith ,฀189 0฀ Plate฀1 A฀(CYK )฀ Plate฀1 B฀ A SPECIES LIST OF HONG KONG CORALS Family:฀Astrocoeniida e฀ Growth฀form :฀sub-massiv e฀with฀numerou s฀smal l฀knob s฀ Average฀colon y฀size :฀4 0฀to฀60฀cm.,฀but฀ca n฀grow฀t o฀1฀m.฀ Corallite฀diameter :฀0.7 5฀to฀1฀mm.฀ Abundance:฀ver y฀commo n฀ The฀tin y฀polyp s฀sho w฀u p฀wel l฀despit e฀thei r฀smal l฀siz e฀ because฀the y฀ar e฀ligh t฀coloure d฀agains t฀a ฀darke r฀reddish brown ฀coenosarc .฀Colon y฀for m฀wit h฀smal l฀hillock s฀an d฀ knobs฀i s฀very฀consistent .฀ Very฀commo n฀i n฀Rock y฀Harbou r฀an d฀Tol o฀wher e฀i t฀ma y฀ dominate฀th e฀mi d฀t o฀lowe r฀rang e฀o f฀cora l฀distributio n฀i n฀ vertical฀zonation ,฀as ,฀for฀example ,฀a t฀th e฀easter n฀ti p฀o f฀th e฀ Wan฀Tsa i฀Peninsul a฀a t฀th e฀mout h฀o f฀Tol o฀Harbour .฀Com mon ,฀bu t฀les s฀important ,฀i n฀Mir s฀Bay .฀ A SPECIES LIST OF HONG KONG CORAL S Psammocora฀superficialis ฀Gardiner ,฀189 8฀ Plate฀2 A฀(MH )฀ is฀ Plate฀ 2 B l฀ 45฀ Family:฀Thamnasteriida e฀ Growth฀form :฀encrustin g฀ Average฀colon y฀size :฀5 ฀to฀1 0฀cm.฀ Corallite฀diameter :฀1 ฀mm .฀ Abundance:฀uncommo n฀ Small฀corallite s฀wit h฀n o฀walls .฀Th e฀specie s฀occur s฀com monly ฀i n฀th e฀turbi d฀water s฀fro m฀inne r฀Tol o฀Channe l฀t o฀ap proximately ฀midwa y฀toward s฀th e฀mouth ,฀an d฀ha s฀bee n฀ found฀a t฀sout h฀Lanta u฀Island .฀However,฀i n฀the฀clear฀water s฀ of฀Mir s฀Ba y฀i...