Marine Biodiversity

, Volume 46, Issue 2, pp 503–507 | Cite as

Cryptic speciation in the stony octocoral Heliopora coerulea: temporal reproductive isolation between two growth forms

Short Communication
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Abstract

Two growth forms of the stony blue octocoral Heliopora coerulea were recently shown to exhibit different genetic structures. In the present study, the reproductive timing of the two growth forms of the externally brooding blue coral was determined over a period of three years to examine the possible mechanism of cryptic speciation previously indicated by genetic data. During each monitoring year, in situ observations revealed external brooding of larvae in columnar colonies approximately one month earlier than their laminar counterparts. Ex situ larval collection during the first monitoring year showed larval release occurring around new moon to first quarter moon, with columnar colonies planulating in March and laminar colonies in April. These results indicate temporal reproductive isolation between the two growth forms, hence supporting the existence of cryptic species in the blue octocoral.

Keywords

Blue coral Brooding Larval release Planulation Reproductive timing 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

Comments and suggestions from two anonymous reviewers and Dr. Bert W. Hoeksema greatly improved the manuscript. I am grateful to M. Ponce, R. de Guzman and F. Castrence Jr. for field and hatchery assistance, and to M.R.C. Rodrigueza-Villanueva and P. Cabaitan for help with figure preparation. The study was supported in part by the GEF/World Bank Coral Reef Targeted Research Program, DOST Reef Restoration Project and Production of Corals for Reef Restoration Program, and UPMSI In-House BARC Health Project. This is UP-MSI Contribution Number 441.

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Copyright information

© Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.The Marine Science Institute, College of ScienceUniversity of the Philippines, DilimanQuezon CityPhilippines

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