Open AccessSpecies diversity and abundance of Euphylliidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia) corals in Tioman, Redang and Payar Islands, Peninsular Malaysia
Author(s) -
Shahbudin Saad,
Khodzori Fikri Akmal
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
borneo journal of marine science and aquaculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2600-8882
pISSN - 2600-8637
DOI - 10.51200/bjomsa.v1i0.991
Subject(s) - anthozoa , scleractinia , cnidaria , abundance (ecology) , ecology , biology , endangered species , coral reef , coral , transect , species evenness , geography , species diversity , habitat
The number of endangered coral species is increasing over the past decades due to multiple stresses and threats. Euphylliidae corals are among the species heavily targeted for the marine aquarium trade due to their colourful appearance and aesthetic importance. However, their distribution in Peninsular Malaysia has not been thoroughly investigated. Present study aims to investigate the diversity and abundance patterns of euphylliid species at 36 reef sites in Marine Protected Areas of Tioman, Redang and Payar Islands. Video transect surveyed a total of 671 euphylliids individuals belonging to six species from three genera. The diversity and evenness indices of euphylliids were significantly higher (P