Abstract
The corals growing on the shoal-water slopes of Miyake-jima, Japan, form one of the higher latitude (34°05′N) coral communities in the Indo-Pacific province. It also appears to be the highest latitude where development of a coral reef framework has occurred. In 1979 a collection of 263 coral specimens representing 80 hermatypic and 11 ahermatypic species was made. The coral communities in one bay were analyzed at nine different localities along 98 transects. From the coral collections and transect investigations a physiographic description of the reef habitats, the general distribution pattern of the corals, and a species checklist are given. A detailed analysis of the coral community is presented for the transect localities. Variables reported include: surface coverage, predominant species colony size and density, and species richness, evenness and diversity. Although coral coverage was not high, species diversity values were comparable with more tropically-situated areas.
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Tribble, G.W., Randall, R.H. A description of the high-latitude shallow water coral communities of Miyake-jima, Japan. Coral Reefs 4, 151–159 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427936
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427936