Coral Without Zooxanthellae Identified in Indo-Pacific Sea Caves

ScienceDaily reports on a new species of coral called Leptoseris troglodyta that was discovered as early as 1981 but only recently identified as a new species. It is found living in underwater caves in “the western Pacific, including eastern Indonesia, central Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Palau and Guam.” Dr. Bert W. Hoeksema from Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands published his findings in the October issue of the journal ZooKeys. 
Photo courtesy of www.sciencedaily.com What makes Leptoseris troglodyta so unique is that it is the “first known” tropical reef coral that lacks the symbiotic algae known as zooxanthellae. Hoeksema writes how this corals’ lack of zooanthellae may be an “evolutionary novelty related to life in deep water or in caves.” This is significant because it sheds light on how coral can adapt and survive without the photosynthetic capabilities of zooanthellae, and how warming waters and coral bleaching may pose less of a threat to their existence.   Read more here!