Four new corals recorded from Indian waters

 🌊🌊🌊🌊Four new corals recorded from Indian waters🌊🌊🌊

Scientists have recorded four species of corals for the first time from Indian waters.

These new species of azooxanthellate corals were found from the waters off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
● What are Azooxanthellate Corals?

• The azooxanthellate corals are a group of corals that do not contain zooxanthellae and derive nourishment not from the sun but from capturing different forms of planktons.

• They are deep-sea representatives with the majority of species being reported from depths between 200 meters and 1,000 meters.

• They are also reported from shallow waters unlike zooxanthellate corals that are restricted to shallow waters.

● Which are the new species found?

1. Truncatoflabellum crassum,
2. T. incrustatum, 
3. T. aculeatum, 
4. T. irregulare under the family Flabellate were previously found in Japan, the Philippines and Australian waters    note

Only T. crassum was reported within the range of Indo-West Pacific distribution.

● Significance of the discovery:

Most studies of hard corals in India have been concentrated on reef-building corals while much is not known about non-reef-building corals.

These new species enhance our knowledge about
non-reef-building solitary corals.

● Prelims Environment, GS-III