Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China; Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.
Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.
Mar Environ Res. 2023 Sep;190:106110. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106110. Epub 2023 Jul 22.
Scleractinian cold-water corals (CWCs) are one of the most important habitat engineers of the deep sea. Although the South China Sea (SCS) abuts the biodiversity center of scleractinian CWCs in the western Pacific, only a few sporadic records are available. We discovered new CWC sites by means of trawl sampling and video observation along the continental shelf of the northwestern SCS. All trawled scleractinian CWC specimens were identified to species level according to skeleton morphology and structure. The living CWCs and associated fauna recorded in the video were -identified to a higher level of classification. Scleractinian corals were identified to genus level, while non-scleractinian CWCs were identified to family level and given general names such as gorgonian corals, bamboo corals and black corals. Associated benthic dwellers were divided into major categories. A total of 28 scleractinian CWC species were identified to 7 families, 15 genera, and 1 additional subgenus. Among them, 13 species were colonial, including important habitat-forming species in the genera Eguchipsammia, Dendrophyllia and Cladopsammia. Non-scleractinian CWCs were identified to 7 families, including 4 families gorgonian corals, 1 family bamboo corals, and 2 families black corals. Gorgonian corals were the most abundant non-scleractinian CWCs in this region. Meanwhile, starfish, sea anemones, fish, gastropods, echinoderms, and other associated benthic fauna were recorded in the CWC habitats, with starfish belonging to the order Brisingida being most common. New scleractinian CWC assemblages were discovered along the continental seabed mounds in the northwestern SCS. This study highlights the remarkable diversity of cold-water scleractinian corals in the whole SCS, and shows the potential widespread distribution and conservation prospect of CWC habitats in this region.
软珊瑚冷水珊瑚（CWCs）是深海最重要的栖息地工程师之一。尽管南海（SCS）毗邻西太平洋的硬珊瑚 CWCs 生物多样性中心，但仅有少数零星记录。我们通过拖网采样和视频观测在西北南海大陆架上发现了新的 CWC 地点。所有拖网采集的硬珊瑚 CWCs 标本均根据骨骼形态和结构鉴定到种水平。视频中记录的活 CWC 和相关动物群被鉴定到更高的分类水平。硬珊瑚鉴定到属级，而非硬珊瑚 CWCs 鉴定到科级，并给予了一般性名称，如柳珊瑚、竹珊瑚和黑珊瑚。相关底栖生物分为主要类别。共鉴定出 28 种硬珊瑚 CWCs，隶属于 7 科、15 属和 1 个亚属。其中，13 种为群体，包括在 Eguchipsammia、Dendrophyllia 和 Cladopsammia 属中具有重要栖息地形成作用的物种。非硬珊瑚 CWCs 鉴定到 7 科，包括 4 科柳珊瑚、1 科竹珊瑚和 2 科黑珊瑚。在该地区，柳珊瑚是最丰富的非硬珊瑚 CWCs。同时，在 CWC 栖息地中记录到海星、海葵、鱼类、腹足动物、棘皮动物和其他相关底栖动物，其中以 Brisingida 目海星最为常见。在西北南海大陆架海底丘上发现了新的硬珊瑚 CWC 组合。本研究突出了整个南海冷水硬珊瑚的显著多样性，并显示了该地区 CWC 栖息地广泛分布和保护前景的潜力。
