Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems

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Figure 2. (a) Closed-circuit rebreather diver sampling corals at 65 m on a lettuce coral, Agaricia undata , fringe reef on the Grammanik Bank, St. Thomas. (b) Dense boulder star corals, Orbicella franksi , between USVI and Puerto Rico at 35 m. (c) A dog snapper, Lutjanus jocu , at a fish spawning site south of St. Thomas at 30 m (photos Tyler B. Smith).

MESOPHOTIC CORAL ECOSYSTEMS – A LIFEBOAT FOR CORAL REEFS? 27