HKBU biologists discover new coral and nudibranch species

Biologists from HKBU have discovered in Hong Kong waters a new species of hard coral and two new species of nudibranch, a type of marine mollusc, that have never been identified anywhere else in the world. The discoveries of new species from these commonly seen animal groups are a vivid reflection of Hong Kong’s rich marine biodiversity.

The new marine species were identified by research teams led by Professor Qiu Jianwen, Professor of HKBU’s Department of Biology. The descriptions of the new coral and nudibranch species were published in the academic journals Zootaxa and Zoological Studies, respectively.

The new coral species belongs to the genus Tubastraea, which is commonly known as sun coral due to its bright orange polyps (individuals making up the colony) and the circle of tentacles that surround its mouth. HKBU biologists discovered the new species while conducting underwater surveys at the Breaker Reef in the eastern waters of Hong Kong in the summer of 2020. The team named the coral Tubastraea megacorallita, with “mega” and “corallite” meaning “big” and “skeletal cup”, respectively.

The HKBU team also discovered in Hong Kong waters two species of nudibranch named Phestilla goniophaga and Phestilla fuscostriata.

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Source from CPRO HKBU  (https://bunews.hkbu.edu.hk/news/knowledge/hkbu-discovers-new-coral-and-nudibranch-species)

浸大生物學家發現珊瑚和海蛞蝓新物種

浸大的生物學家在香港水域發現了一個新的石珊瑚物種，以及兩個新的海洋軟體動物「海蛞蝓」物種。在這些常見的海洋生物族群中發現新物種，彰顯了香港豐富的海洋生物多樣性。

這些新海洋生物物種由生物系邱建文教授帶領的研究團隊發現。有關這些珊瑚和海蛞蝓的描述分別刊登於學術期刊《Zootaxa》和《Zoological Studies》。

新發現的珊瑚物種屬於「筒星珊瑚屬」。由於牠們的珊瑚蟲（構成珊瑚的單體）呈鮮艷的橙色，圍繞口部四周又長有一圈觸手，故常被稱為「太陽珊瑚」。浸大的生物學家於2020年夏季，在香港東部水域近打浪排一帶進行水下調查時，發現這個新珊瑚物種。研究團隊把該種珊瑚命名為「大杯筒星珊瑚」（Tubastraea megacorallita），以反映牠擁有大珊瑚杯這一特徵。

浸大團隊在香港水域發現了兩個海蛞蝓新種，分別命名為「食角孔珊瑚背鰓海蛞蝓」（Phestilla goniophaga）及「褐帶背鰓海蛞蝓」（Phestilla fuscostriata）。

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