Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems
Table 1. Zooxanthellate scleractinian coral species observed below 50 m off La Parguera Puerto Rico.
Zooxanthellate scleractinian coral species observed below 50 metres - o La Parguera, Puerto Rico
- Whitestar sheet coral Agaricia lamarcki
Scolymia cubensis
Undaria agaricites
Stephanocoenia intersepta
- Lettuce coral
- Blushing star coral
- Artichoke coral
- Scroll plate coral Agaricia undata*
- Deep thin lettuce coral Leptoseris cailleti*
- Massive starlet coral Siderastrea siderea
- Smooth ower coral Eusmilia fastigiata
- Dimpled sheet coral Agaricia grahamae*
- Boulder star coral Orbicella franksi
- Mustard hill coral Porites astreoides
Dichocoenia stockesii
- Elliptical star coral
- Knobby cactus coral Mycetophyllia aliciae
Montastraea cavernosa
Agaricia fragilis* - Fragile saucer coral
- Ridgeless cactus coral Mycetophyllia reesi*
- Great star coral
Undaria humilis
Madracis pharensis #
* not common above 50 metres # both zooxanthellae and azooxaenthellae forms
- Low relief lettuce coral
- Star coral
Table 2. Rank of top four fish species occurring at mesophotic depths off La Parguera, Puerto Rico (Data from Bejarano et al. 2014).
Rank of top four sh in four depth zones
Depth in metres
Species
Common name
40
50
60
70
1
Masked goby
Coryphopterus personatus
1
1
2
2
Creole wrasse
Clepticus parrae
3
Bicolor damsel sh
Stegastes partitus
Chromis insolata
Sunshine sh
4
2
2
1
Yellowhead wrasse
Halichoeres garnoti
3
3
3.5
Blue chromis
Chromis cyanea
4
Chalk bass
Serranus tortugarum
4
Chromis scotti
Purple ree sh
3.5
parrotfish). Xanthichthys ringens (sargassum triggerfish) is also common down to 60 m. At 50 m or deeper, fish assemblages are dominated (in terms of density) by planktivores; dominance which progressively increases with depth. While constituting only 18 per cent of fish species, zooplanktivores make up over 80 per cent
species observed from 40 to 70 m. The most common and abundant species found only below 40 m is the sunshine fish, Chromis insolata , representing on average 23 per cent of the individuals within transects. Additional common species are Liopropoma mowbrayi (cave basslet), Lutjanus buccanella (blackfin snapper), Prognathodes aculeatus (longsnout butterflyfish) and Sparisoma atomarium (greenblotch
MESOPHOTIC CORAL ECOSYSTEMS – A LIFEBOAT FOR CORAL REEFS? 48
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