The hard corals (Scleractinia) of India: A revised checklist

Abstract

Persistence of coral reefs is threatened globally due to intensified human activities and ongoing climate change. Coral reefs in India are also suffering from acute stress events like mass coral bleaching and coastal development activities, which has led some of the coral species on the verge of local extinction. Here, we present a revised checklist of scleractinian corals from the major Indian reefs, namely Gulf of Kachchh (GoK), Lakshadweep Islands (LI), Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve (GoMBR), and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI), representing a total of 585 species belonging to 108 genera and 23 families. Maximum species richness is recorded in the ANI (523 species of 95 genera belonging to 23 families), followed by the GoMBR (169 species belonging to 46 genera and 16 families), the LI (165 species from 54 genera and 17 families), and GoK (76 species of 30 genera and 12 families). Apart from these reefs, we also enlisted scleractinian fauna from other small reefs across the West coast of India, namely the Malvan Marine Sanctuary, Angria bank, Grande Island, and Netrani Island.