2013 Volume 15 Issue Supplement Pages 182-188
Soft corals of the family Alcyoniidae are the most abundant and ecologically important members of coral reef communities in the Indo-West Pacific. However, fundamental knowledge of these animals is still lacking. The study of genetic diversity will greatly improve the identification and classification of these species and it will give us essential knowledge for future conservation and management of octocoral species. This study is aimed at investigating genetic variations of soft corals of the family Alcyoniidae along Nang-Rong Beach, Jorake Island and Juang Islands, Amphur Sattahip, Chonburi Province (Thailand), and derived from the analysis of the msh1 gene in mitochondria. Preliminary analysis found 83 samples of soft corals of the family Alcyoniidae, which were expected to be Cladiella (55 samples), Sinularia (13 samples), Lobophytum (7 samples), Klyxum (3 samples) and Sarcophyton (5 samples). The results showed that the msh1 gene was variable enough to distinguish Alcyoniid genera. Phylogenetic analyses comparing Alcyoniid soft corals in the current study and the published ones revealed 5 phylogenetic clades resembling differentiation at the generic level or higher. Klyxum and Cladiella clearly differed from other Alcyoniids. Sinularia was the most speciose genus among Alcyoniid soft corals in this study, in contrast to others (i.e. Klyxum, Cladiella, Sarcophyton and Lobophytum) which consisted of a single species/genus.
