Acropora in Hawaii. Part 1. History of the Scientific Record, Systematics, and Ecology

Abstract

Present occurrence of the coral genus Acropora in Hawaii has long been questioned. This paper reviews the scientific literature concerning this controversy and presents the results of a recent resource survey of the entire Hawaiian Archipelago that clearly establishes the presence of three species of Acropora in Hawaii. These species are Acropora cytherea, A . valida, and A. humilis. Taxonomic descriptions for each species are presented, along with notes on their worldwide geographic distributions. In Hawaii, the three species are found only on six islands in the middle of the chain . Extension of their ranges throughout the archipelago may be limited by discontinuous and sporadic larval recruitment.