I have seen it stated in a number of different
guides that
there are only 52 species of stony corals in Hawaii. However, a quick trawl
through J.E.N. Veron's
Corals of the World
soon turned up over 70 - which I have listed out below.
And Hawaii's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (HCWCS) has
produced its own even longer list, which I have detailed below alongside my
extract from Veron which would not claim to be comprehensive.
However, it seems that any two lists of Hawaiian corals will
differ both in number and type of species recorded, and will also
diverge on other key details - such as whether the species are
endemic to Hawaii or not. There are a number of species described as
endemic by HCWCS, Hoover, etc that in fact appear to merely be indigenous.
Accepted examples of this are Acropora cytherea (known to be widely
distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific), and Montipora capitata
(which whilst common in Hawaii is found elsewhere, though admitted
rarely). The points to remember in all this is that the identification and taxonomy
of corals is constantly evolving and changing. For example, Douglas Fenner in his
book
Corals of Hawaii, has further questioned a number of these coral
attributions (though I believe Fenner's work has
yet to be peer reviewed).
Where available, I have provided hyperlinks
to the Australian Institute of Marine Science's (AIMS)
CoralSearch
database entries for each coral. Where either Veron or Hawaii's Comprehensive
Wildlife Conservation Strategy indicate that a species is endemic to Hawaii, this is is
highlighted with this icon
- sometimes they actually agree!
| |
Veron |
HCWCS |
Comments |
|
Acropora |
cerealis |
|
|
|
cytherea |
cytherea
 |
found only in the North-Western
Hawaiian Islands |
| |
|
echinata |
|
|
elseyi |
|
|
| |
|
gemmifera |
found only in the North-Western Hawaiian Islands |
|
humilis |
humilis |
found only in the North-Western Hawaiian Islands |
|
hyacinthus |
|
|
| |
|
nasuta |
|
|
paniculata |
paniculata |
found only in the North-Western Hawaiian Islands |
|
selago |
|
|
|
valida |
valida |
found only in the North-Western Hawaiian Islands |
|
Anisopsammia |
|
ampheiliodes |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
|
Anthemiphyllia |
|
dentata |
|
| |
|
pacifica |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
|
Alveopora |
verrilliana |
verrilliana |
|
|
Balanophyllia |
|
cornu |
|
| |
|
cf affinis |
|
| |
|
desmophylloides |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
diomedeae
 |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
gigas |
|
| |
hawaiiensis
|
hawaiiensis |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
laysanensis
 |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
|
Bathyactis |
|
hawaiiensis |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
|
Caryophyllia |
|
alcocki |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
atlantica |
|
| |
|
cf ambrosia |
|
| |
|
hawaiiensis |
|
| |
|
marmorea |
|
| |
|
octopali
 |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
rugosa |
|
|
Ceratotrochus |
|
laxus
 |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
|
Cladopsammia |
|
echinata |
|
|
Coenosmilia |
|
inordinata
 |
|
|
Conotrochus |
|
funicolumna |
|
|
Coscinaraea |
wellsi |
wellsi |
|
|
Culicia |
|
cf tenella |
|
|
Cyathoceras |
|
diomedeae |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
rubescens |
|
|
Cycloseris |
|
fragilis |
|
| |
sinensis |
|
|
| |
tenuis |
tenuis |
|
| |
vaughani |
vaughani |
|
|
Cyphastrea |
agassizi |
|
|
| |
ocellina |
ocellina |
|
|
Deltocyathus |
|
andamanicus |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
stellulatus |
|
|
Dendrophyllia |
|
gaditana |
|
| |
|
oahuensis |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
serpentina
 |
also known as
Eguchipsammia sepentina |
|
Desmophyllum |
|
cristagalli |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
|
Diaseris |
distorta |
distorta |
|
| |
|
fragilis |
|
|
Ehallopsammia |
|
amphelioides |
|
| |
|
rostrata |
|
|
Endopachys |
|
grayi |
|
| |
|
oahuense |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
|
Favia |
|
hawaiiensis |
|
| |
|
hombroni |
|
| |
|
rudis |
|
|
Flabellum |
|
deludens |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
marcus |
|
| |
|
pavoninum |
deep water
coral - over 90m / 300ft |
| |
|
vaughani
 |
|
|
Fungia |
concinna |
|
|
| |
|
echinata |
|
| |
|