HKBU Biologists Discover New Coral Species in Hong Kong Waters

Three new species of hard coral that has never been identified in the world were discovered by biologists from the Hong Kong Baptist University (KHBU).

The new coral species were identified by professor Qiu Jianwen and MPhil student Yiu King-fung of HKBU's Department of Biology and follows their discovery of one new coral and two nudibranch species that was announced last year.

According to a press release by HKBU yesterday, the three new discoveries have been accepted for publication in the Zoological Studies journal.

Qiu and his research team embarked on a series of coral health research projects around eight years ago, which saw them investigate the impact of coral bioeroding sea urchins, coral-eating nudibranchs, and coral bleaching caused by global warming.

“A coral facility was set up at HKBU to culture corals and conduct controlled experiments to examine their physiological changes under different culture conditions,” the release read. “With continuous field surveys and in-depth research, the team has revealed the high diversity of sun corals in Hong Kong waters.”

The three new sun coral species, collected at Sung Kong and Wagland Island, have been named by the research team as Tubastraea dendroida, Tubastraea chloromura, and Tubastraea violacea. These species all belong to the genus Tubastraea.

It was two decades ago when a new hard coral species was last discovered and named in Hong Kong. Thus, for Qiu, their new discoveries are "very encouraging."

"[I]t provides strong evidence of the high marine biodiversity in Hong Kong waters, and it helps fill in the knowledge gaps in biodiversity as advocated in the Government’s Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan," Qiu said. "It also inspires us to further explore the diversity of marine animals, study their functions and ecosystem services, and protect them from potential human disturbances."