[Coral-List] What species of scleratinia have the broadest geographic distribution around the world?

[hreyes]

Well, in a small paper on coral cosmopolitanism that we are preparing, we 
suggest that there are only four species that can be considered as truly 
"cosmopolitan": Lophelia pertusa, Desmophyllum dianthus, Enallopsammia 
rostrata and Madrepora oculata (all deep-water). They appear everywhere; in 
all oceans, and from the tropics to Antarctica and the northern Pacific. Also, 
Cairns et al. in their 1999 Atoll Res Bull review show that these corals occur 
in the six world regions depicted. However, in our paper in progress we found 
out that using the biogeographical information of the species "as is", then 
zooxanthellate corals are in average more widely distributed than 
azooxanthellate ones. The latter have much more short-range endemics. Saludos!

Hector Reyes
UABCS, La Paz, Mexico

Hector Reyes Bonilla
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur
Departamento de Biologia Marina
Ap. postal 19-B, CP 23080
La Paz, B.C.S., MEXICO
Tel. (612) 123-8800, ext. 4180
Fax: (612)123-8819