Scientists discovered dozens of new coral species on a recent voyage along the length of the Great Barrier Reef.
Scientists discovered dozens of new coral species on a recent voyage along the length of the Great Barrier Reef.
A team of scientists completed a 21-day trip from the Capricorn Bunkers off Gladstone to Thursday Island in the Torres Strait late last year.
“On almost every dive we were finding species that aren’t in the books,” said Professor Andrew Baird from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (Coral CoE at JCU).
Scientists from Queensland Museum (QM), University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia were also part of the expedition.
Prof Baird said the discoveries are timely as recent molecular advances reveal that much of the existing classification of corals is deeply flawed.
“One hard coral species, Acropora hyacinthus, was previously thought to be found on almost every reef crest along the length of the reef,” Prof Baird said.
Read more at ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
