Caribbean Coral ID
March 2017 - March 2018, Discovery Bay Marine Lab, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
SITE MAPS
Mammee Bay, Jamaica. 18°20'0" N, 76°49'0" W
Discovery Bay, Jamaica. 18°28'0" N, 77°24'0" W
Ocho Rios, Jamaica. 18°24′08″ N, 77°06′17″ W
Rio Bueno, Jamaica. 18°28'0" N, 77°28'0" W
Macro shot of Agaricia agaricites, lettuce coral. Site A, 8m depth, Dec 2017.
Densely clumped finger corals, Porites porites, on a shallow 'spur and groove' reef. Site A, 8m depth, Sept 2017.
Colpophyllia natans, a species of brain coral. Site M, 8m depth, May 2017.
Photographs of diseased corals in the area, such as this unusually shaped brain coral, provided evidence for coral researchers that the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) had spread from Florida, where it was first reported in 2014, to other parts of the Caribbean. Site B, 7m depth, July 2017.
See www.agrra.org/coral-disease-outbreak for more details.
A new colony of elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, grows up from the reef substrate surrounded by algae. Branches of this species can reestablish if broken from the main colony, for example during hurricane damage. Site C, 7m depth, Feb 2018.
Mustard hill corals pour down this coral mound among bleached lettuce corals, Agaricia agaricites. At a depth of 4m, blade fire corals - Millepora complanata - tower into the blue. Site G, 4-8m depth, Nov 2017.
A large mountainous star coral, Montastraea faveolata, drips down the side of a reef mound. Site G, 9m depth, Nov 2017.
On the left, Montastraea faveloata, the mountainous star coral sits proudly next to a bleached brain coral, from the Diploria genus. Site F, 7m depth, Nov 2017.
Black sea rod, Plexaura homomalla. Site C, 10m depth, Feb 2018.
Another example of a healthy elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, on top of a coral 'spur' on site G, 7m depth, Dec 2017.
Madracis auretenra, commonly known as yellow finger or pencil coral. Site M, 10m depth, May 2017.
Mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides. Site C, 10m depth, Dec 2017.
Staghorn corals, Acropora cervicornis, provide an intricate network of hiding places for juvenile fish species. Very few healthy examples in the Mammee Bay area, but a couple of colonies were found on site A, 8-10m depth, Sept 2017.
This species is considered critically endangered on the IUCN red list, and many coral nursery projects in the Caribbean focus on growing this coral to repopulate the reefs. Click here for more details: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/133381/0
A reef spur is covered in mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, and mountainous star coral, Montastraea faveloata. Site C, 10m depth, Nov 2017.
This soft black coral, a type of Antipatharia, was found on deeper on the reefs (between 20-30m) and inside the dark wheelhouse of the Katherine Shipwreck near Ocho Rios (site J). Here it is photographed on a deep coral mound known locally as The Mountain. Site E, depth 27m, Nov 2017.
Pillar corals, Dendrogyra cylindrus, contribute to building the reef shape. The skeleton in this example has become host to sponges, algae, arrow crabs, anemones and worms. The patch reef on which it sits is part of the White River Fish Sanctuary, and is a favourite hang out spot for Caribbean squid. (Once I counted 40 individual animals hovering near this coral!) Site H, 10m depth, Feb 2018.
www.whiteriverfishsanctuary.com
These dead elkhorn corals in shallow water are a shadow of their former glory, now covered in algae. Site D, 3-5m depth, Sept 2017.
The giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta, grows here on top of hard corals. Hermit crabs and king crabs can be found inside the sponges, whose insides are much smoother than the knobbly exterior. This incredible sponge can live for hundreds of years, and feeds by filtering nutrients from the water through its body. Site A, 10m depth, Dec 2017.
Montastraea faveloata, mountainous star corals, survive despite encroaching algae. Site C, 9m depth, Nov 2017.
Most lettuce corals, Agaricia agaricites, were bleached in summer 2017 by the prolonged high water temperature in Jamaica. This photograph shows bleaching down to 30m depth, on a coral mound called The Mountain. Site E, Nov 2017.
A field of soft corals known as sea fans, Gorgonia Ventalina, sway back and forth in the underwater surge. Site B, 6-8m depth, July 2017.
Despite most coral species bleaching during summer 2017, where the water temperature remained at 30°C for several weeks, Porites astreoides colonies in shallow waters appeared more resistant. Site F, 7m depth, Sept 2017.
A new colony of Acropora palmata, the aptly named elkhorn coral, grows in the foreground where a branch has snapped off from the original colony. The fan-like branches give the juvenile bluehead wrasse a place to hide. This species is also considered critically endangered on the IUCN red list. Found on top of a spur north of Dunn's River Falls. Site G, 7m depth, Nov 2017.
A purple surgeon fish swims past a two metre pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, which shows signs of disease. Site C, 12m depth, Feb 2018.
Outstretched polyps of this corky sea finger, Briareum asbestinum, are ready to catch a meal of bypassing plankton. Site K, 6m depth, May 2017.
The wonderfully named orange icing sponge, Mycale laevis, undercoats a mountainous star coral, Montastraea faveolata. Site E, 15m depth, Sept 2017.
Blade fire corals, Millepora complanata, span out here on the top of the 'spur and groove' reef. Site G, 5-6m depth, Nov 2017.
Aplysina insularis, the yellow tube sponge, grows on top of the Katherine Shipwreck to the east of Ocho Rios, part of the White River Fish Sanctuary. Brain corals surround the sponge, which is home to tiny neon blue gobies. Site J, 8m depth, Dec 2017.
www.whiteriverfishsanctuary.com
A large sea fan, Gorgonia ventalina, makes a temporary resting spot for a king crab. Site I, 11m depth, Aug 2017.
The unusual growth form of this venus sea fan, Gorgonia flabellum, is attributed to many secondary branches growing vertically out of the main frond. Site I, 12m depth, Feb 2018.