First record of the coral Leptoseris amitoriensis (Scleractinia, Agariciidae) from Amami-oshima Island, Japan

Abstract

Leptoseris amitoriensis Veron, 1990 is recorded on the basis of specimens from the southern coast of Amami-oshima Island, Kagoshima, Japan. The colonies of L. amitoriensis was found on the bottom edge of a sandy slope at 31 m depth in Atetsu Bay, Oshima Strait. The paratypes examined in this study (CMNH-ZG 08451, RUMF-ZG-04388 and RUMF-ZG-04389: collected by one of the author of this study) appear to make up the entire type series to the exception of the holotype. The feature that corallite rims are slightly raised compared to the coenosteum was observed in both the specimens in this study and the paratypes, and this is considered to be an additional diagnostic character of this species. This report represents the northernmost record of this species and the second record in Japan.