Octocorals in the Gulf

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Octocorals in the Gulf
Kaveh Samimi Namin
Department of Marine Sciences, Khoram-Shahr
University of Marine Sciences and Technology,
Khuzestan province, Iran
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Introduction
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Specific characteristic of soft coral

• Each polyp bears eight hollow tentacles ,which
  are fringed on both sides by one or several rows
  of pinnules.

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What we know already ?

• History of research about corals back to year
  1911 by Harisson , Rosen 1971, Danish scientific
  investigations 1934, Harington 1976, Harger 1984,
  Sheppard 1991, in 1992 Shepperd reported
  Dendronephthya in west coast of Musandam.
• He noted that the Gulf is almost completely
  lacking in soft coral .
• In status of coral reef of the world 2004 ,
  Rezai reported three genera of octocorallia (
  Dendronephthya , Sarcophyton , Subergorgia ) from
  7 islands that have been surveyed through 10
  years.

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The coral reefs area in Iranian part
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About this study
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East coast of Kish island during summer and
autumn 2005 . ( Why east coast ? Because
nobody fund this project, so east coast was
easily accessible .)
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Now, this study is doing in Hengam island .(in
all coasts) All around this island is about 50 km
.Every 1-2 km will be checked. Now, north and
west coasts are finished.
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Material and Methods
Underwater surveys is do with SCUBA diving. Each
survey start from seashore to depth around 40
.(Depends on the sea floor profile)
What data recorded

• Physical parameters such as salinity, turbidity
  ,temperature

• Substratum sampling for later sediment analysis.

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Results
Some new records !
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Family Plexauridae Menella sp. Gray,1870 Colony
shape Branched and whip like Sclerites The
characteristic sclerites form is leaf scale with
tuberculate structure at one tip. the thorn
scales of calyces with single ,long spine from
warty base. Habitat Depth around 12, clear
water, sandy rocky substratum.
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Family Ellisellidae Junceella sp.
Valenciennes,1855
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Colony shape Unbranched, whiplike Sclerites
Surface have club shape Habitat Sandy and muddy
bottoms
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Family Plexauridae Echinomuricea sp.
Verrill,1869
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Colony shape branched Sclerites The major are
the thorn scales of the calyces with single, long
spine from warty base. Habitat Depth was around
12 m, with clear water ( visibility 8 m)
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Family Plexauridae Dendronepthya sp.
Kukenthal, 1905
Polyps Monomorphic and not retractile Colony
shape bushy Habitat depth above 10 , with
clear water ( visibility 8 m)
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Main threatening factors

• Collecting for ornamental uses !!!

• Trawling for harvesting shrimp and fishes

• Pollution

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Whats the problem for study about them ???

• Almost all of these studies are about hard
  corals, and there is not specific study on soft
  corals !!!

• We dont know what we have in the Gulf !!!
• So how can we conserve something that we dont
  have any information about that !!!

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Whats the problem ???

• There arent any scientific reports. Many local
  students have not published their works in
  international journals or symposiums, so finding
  this information in local unspecific magazines is
  very difficult.

• Organizations that finance such taxonomic
  projects are too limited.

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I would like to thank WWF for inviting and
supporting me
And also Dr. Leen Ofwegen for all of his supports
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Thank you for your attention