Species List of Cuban Stony Corals: Class Anthozoa, Order Scleractinia; Class Hydrozoa, Suborders Capitata and Filifera

Abstract

This chapter updates the list of Cuban stony corals through the review of all published taxonomic, bathymetric, or geographical information. Species are listed alphabetically within their families and are geographically allocated in nine ecological districts around the coast of Cuba. Each taxon is categorized as rare, occasional, common, or frequent based on its qualitative presence in the scleractinian community. Data regarding the presence of symbiont zooxanthellae, the species ability to build colonies, mode of attachment, and bathymetric range are included. In addition, identification references for the hermatypic stony corals have been added. One hundred sixty-three species of stony corals were listed for Cuba, distributed over 27 families. Of these corals, 140 are Scleractinia and 23 are Anthoathecata, divided by their reef-building status into 59 hermatypic and 104 ahermatypic. Ten ahermatypic species were found in Cuban coral reefs. Trematotrochus corbicula, Cylicia inflata, and three species of the Stylasteridae family are identified as endemics. Tubastraea coccinea was found 50 years ago only in the southeast coast; however, in the last 4 years, this species has been observed in four additional marine areas, which highlights the urgency to survey its current populations. Finally, attention is drawn to biodiversity in the Gran Banco de Buena Esperanza reticulated reefs.