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Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstractsThe coastal scleractinian coral fauna of the Kermadec Islands, southwestern Pacific OceanF. J. Brook**Department of Conservation, P. O. Box 842, Whangarei, New ZealandThe species diversity of the coastal scleractinian coral fauna at the subtropical Kermadec Islands attenuates southwest along the island chain from 17 hermatypic (zooxanthellate) species and 7 ahermatypic (azooxanthellate) species at the northern end (Raoul Island: 29.2deg.S), to 2 hermatypes and 2 ahermatypes in the south (L'Esperance Rock: 31.1deg.S). Biogeographic affinities are with other subtropical southwestern Pacific islands rather than with New Zealand.The majority of the Kermadec hermatypic species are restricted to depths shallower than 20-30 m, and encrusting growth forms predominate. Hermatypic corals form scattered colonies on volcanic substrata, and there is no contemporary reef formation. Coral cover is highest around Raoul Island, peaking at 20-40% of benthic cover at 1-6 m depth, with a subsidiary peak at about 15-25% of benthic cover between 18 m and 25 m depth at some sites. Hermatypes form less than 1% of benthic cover around islands further south in the group. Kermadec coastal ahermatypic species are largely restricted to caves and overhangs. The asteroid Acanthaster planci is recorded from Raoul and Macauley Is. It is common at Raoul, and is evidently an important modifier of hermatypic coral communities there. Keywords Kermadec Islands; subtropical; scleractinian corals; hermatypes; ahermatypes; biogeography
(c) Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 29, Number 4, December 1999, pp 435-460
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