First record of Psammocora cf. stellata (Scleractinia: Psammocoridae)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25268/bimc.invemar.2026.55.2.1428Keywords:
coral escleractíneo, Pacífico oriental tropical, arrecifes coralinosAbstract
The first record of the genus Psammocora Dana, 1846, in the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary (Colombian Pacific) is presented. The finding corresponds to a colony observed on July 5, 2025, during a scientific dive carried out in the sector known as Cueva del Francés
(4.002137° N, - 81.610814° W), at an approximate depth of 22 m. The identification is based on morphological characters observable in photographs, the nodular growth of the colony, and the presence of small cerioid corallites with a well-defined starry radial pattern. These
features agree mainly with the descriptions of Psammocora stellata (Verrill, 1866), but due to
the absence of collected material, the record is given as Psammocora cf. stellata. With this, knowledge about the coral diversity of the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary is expanded, and it constitutes a relevant contribution to the inventory of scleractinian corals of the Colombian
Pacific.
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