First record of the stony coral Paeacyathus stokesii Edward and Haime, 1848 (Caryophylliidae) in the eastern breakwater of the new Al-Faw Grand Port, Basrah, Iraq
Ahmed, H.K.; Mohammed, H.H.; Ahmed, A.R.; Al-Waeli, A.A.A.; Abbas, M.F.; Ali, M.H. (2023). First record of the stony coral Paeacyathus stokesii Edward and Haime, 1848 (Caryophylliidae) in the eastern breakwater of the new Al-Faw Grand Port, Basrah, Iraq. Biological and Applied Environmental Research 7(1): 1-9. https://dx.doi.org/10.51304/baer.2023.7.1.1
In: Biological and Applied Environmental Research. BIOVAT: Göteborg. ISSN 2002-6153, more
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| Keywords |
Paracyathus stokesii Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 [WoRMS] Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Al-Faw Grand Port, breakwater, Paracyathus stokesii, Scleractinian coral |
| Authors | | Top |
- Ahmed, H.K.
- Mohammed, H.H.
- Ahmed, A.R.
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- Al-Waeli, A.A.A.
- Abbas, M.F.
- Ali, M.H.
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| Abstract |
The Arabian Gulf is home to dense coral communities. The occurrence of coral reefs in the coastal water of Iraq is not common. In the current study, several monthly surveys were conducted from November 2021 to March 2022 to investigate the biodiversity in the area surrounding the eastern breakwater recently established in Al-Faw Grand Port, south of Basrah, Iraq. Water temperature ranged between 16.0 °C in December 2021 and 33.0 °C in June 2021. Salinity ranged between 39.6 and 44.0 psu. The scleractinian coral species, Paracyathus stokesii, was recorded for the first time in this region. The occurrence of the coral reefs in a region of the breakwaters as artificial reef provided a good condition for coral larvae to settle and growing as colony will open doors for more environmental studies to follow up on the effects of climate change on biodiversity in this area. |
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