New Distributional Records of Three Species of Euphylliidae (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Hexacorallia, Scleractinia) from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Abstract

Three species of the family Euphylliidae (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Hexacorallia, Scleractinia) have been formally recorded for the first time from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, based on specimens. Their unique polyp morphology, such as the combination of extended tentacle, are considered to be useful for taxonomy at the species level in genus Fimbriaphyllia Veron and Pichon, 1980 and Euphyllia Dana, 1846. One reason that their distribution might have been overlooked is the insufficiency of environmental surveys, including turbid, sheltered, and upper mesophotic environments.