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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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New species of coral and nudibranch found in Hong Kong for the first time in 20 years
Hong Kong Baptist University biologists have discovered new species of coral and nudibranch in Hong Kong waters, for the first time over the past two decades.
The new marine species were identified by research teams led by Qiu Jianwen from HKBU's department of biology, and the findings were published in the academic journals Zootaxa and Zoological Studies respectively.
The new coral species were discovered in the summer last year while the team conducted underwater surveys at Breaker Reef in the eastern waters of Hong Kong.
The new species belongs to a classification commonly known as sun coral, due to its bright orange color and the circle of tentacles surrounding its mouth.
The team named the coral Tubastraea megacorallita, with "mega" and "corallite" meaning "big" and "skeletal cup,” as it has the biggest and most structurally complex corallite among the eight recognized Tubastraea species around the world.
Also newly discovered were two coral-eating species of nudibranch, both of which belong to the genus Phestilla that had only nine recognized species before.
One of them, found at Sharp Island and Chek Chau, was named Phestilla goniophaga. The name is derived from its host coral "Goniopora," commonly known as flowerpot coral, and the Latin word "phaga," which means "eat."
Phestilla goniophaga is rather big, and its body is around three centimeters long. It can be distinguished from other species of its genus by the large number of long finger-like, brown and white striped projections called cerata, and the white rounded hump on its back.
The other is smaller in size, and its body is less than one centimeter long. The nudibranch lays eggs and feeds on the tissue of the leaf coral Pavona decussata. It has a white body with brown stripes and exhibits excellent mimicry against the colour pattern of its coral host.
It was named Phestilla fuscostriata, with the species epithet adopting the Latin words "fuscus" and "striatus," which mean "brown" and "streaky."
The new species was discovered while culturing the leaf coral samples collected from Sharp Island. The team discovered the new nudibranch species and its crescent-shaped white egg masses after noticing the wounds on the coral surface which came from the nudibranch's eating.
The new coral species were discovered in the summer last year while the team conducted underwater surveys at Breaker Reef in the eastern waters of Hong Kong.
The new species belongs to a classification commonly known as sun coral, due to its bright orange color and the circle of tentacles surrounding its mouth.
The team named the coral Tubastraea megacorallita, with "mega" and "corallite" meaning "big" and "skeletal cup,” as it has the biggest and most structurally complex corallite among the eight recognized Tubastraea species around the world.
Also newly discovered were two coral-eating species of nudibranch, both of which belong to the genus Phestilla that had only nine recognized species before.
One of them, found at Sharp Island and Chek Chau, was named Phestilla goniophaga. The name is derived from its host coral "Goniopora," commonly known as flowerpot coral, and the Latin word "phaga," which means "eat."
Phestilla goniophaga is rather big, and its body is around three centimeters long. It can be distinguished from other species of its genus by the large number of long finger-like, brown and white striped projections called cerata, and the white rounded hump on its back.
The other is smaller in size, and its body is less than one centimeter long. The nudibranch lays eggs and feeds on the tissue of the leaf coral Pavona decussata. It has a white body with brown stripes and exhibits excellent mimicry against the colour pattern of its coral host.
It was named Phestilla fuscostriata, with the species epithet adopting the Latin words "fuscus" and "striatus," which mean "brown" and "streaky."
The new species was discovered while culturing the leaf coral samples collected from Sharp Island. The team discovered the new nudibranch species and its crescent-shaped white egg masses after noticing the wounds on the coral surface which came from the nudibranch's eating.
