Abstract
Coral reefs are pristine ecosystem, which confine vast group of marine lives. Coral reefs are feeding and breeding ground for most of the marine organisms, which provides habitat too. Apart from this, reefs protect the shore from natural disasters such as tsunami, coastal erosion, etc. Most of the coastal communities depend upon the reef for their livelihood, as reef provides 28 % of the total fish caught in India and up to 75 % of the animal protein was consumed. According to earlier published report, coral species diversity was recorded a total of 208 species, 60 genera under 15 families. As result of the study enhanced, the species record from 208 to 478 species, comes under 89 genera that belong to 19 families from the four major reefs of India such as Gulf of Kachchh (49 species, 27 genera), Lakshadweep (104 species, 37 genera), Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay (117 species, 40 genera), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (424 species, 86 genera). In addition, all the 19 families reported in the world are also recorded in India. The scleractinian corals of India have rich diversity as compared to the other reefs of the tropical world such as Sumatra (386), Java Sea (454), Thailand (404) and Sri Lanka (289). Among the 478 species reported in the present account, the family Acroporidae has the maximum number of species (143 species, which is 31 % of scleractinian fauna of India). Probably, in future, many more new records on the scleractinian fauna of the coral reefs of India are expected to emerge.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bahuguna A, Nayak S (1994) Coral reefs of the Indian Coast. Space Application Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, p 54
Brown BE (1997) Integrated coastal management: South Asia. Department of Marine Sciences and Coastal Management, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne
DOD, SAC (1997) Coral reef maps of India. Department of Ocean Development and Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad
Jeyabaskaran R (1999) Report on rapid assessment of coral reefs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. GOI/UNDP/GEF project on management of coral reef ecosystem of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Zoological Survey of India, Port Blair, 110p
Koya MSSI, Wafar MVM, Muley EV (2000) Status of the coral reefs of Lakshadweep, India. In: 9th international coral reef Symposium, Bali, Abstract, p 358
Madhan Chakkaravarthy V, Kumaralingam S, Koushik Sadhukhan Raghunathan C, Ramakrishna (2010) New records of scleractinian corals from Indian waters. Bull Env Sci 27(1):23–26
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Ramakrishna (2010a) New record of Nine Scleractinian corals from Rutland Island. Andaman Int J Biol Sci 1(3):155–170
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Sivaperuman C, Ramakrishna (2010b) Identification of seven scleractinian corals from Andaman and Nicobar Islands as new record to Indian water. Proc Zool Soc 63(1):61–66
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Ramakrishna (2010c) New record of thirteen scleractinian corals in Indian waters from Middle and North Andaman. Biosystematica 4(2):75–89
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Ramakrishna (2011a) Occurrence of seven scleractinian corals in Ritchie’s Archipelago, Andaman Islands of India. Proc Zool Soc 64(1):57–61
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Ramakrishna (2011b) New records of five scleractinian corals from Rutland Island, South Andaman Archipelago. Asian J Exp Biol Sci 2(1):114–118
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Ramakrishna (2011c) New record of six scleractinian corals to Indian water from Rani Jhansi Marine national park and Adjoining Islands, Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago. Internat J Sci Nat 2(2):321–326
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Ramakrishna (2011d) Addition of thirteen scleractinians as new to Indian water from Rutland Island. Andamans Asian J Exp Biol Sci 2(3):383–390
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Ramakrishna (2011e) Notes on three new records of scleractinian corals from Andaman Islands. J Ocean Marine Sci 2(5):122–126
Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Venkataraman K (2011f) Five scleractinian corals as a new record from Andaman Islands—A new addition to Indian marine fauna. World J Fish Marine Sci 3(5):450–458
Mondal T, Raghunathan C (2011g) New record of two scleractinian corals from Neil Island, Ritchie’s Archipelago. Int J Plant Anim Envi Sci 1(2):76–79
Muley EV, Subramanian BR, Venkataraman K, Wafar M (2000) Status of coral reefs of India. In: 9th international coral reef Symposium, Bali, p 360
Nair RR, Qasim SV (1978) Occurrence of a bank with living corals of the West Coast of India. Ind J Mar Sci 7:55–58
Patterson Edward JK, Mathews G, Patterson J, Wilhelmsson D, Tamelander J, Linden O (2007) Coral reefs of the Gulf of Mannar, Southeastern India—Distribution, Diversity and Status. SDMRI Special Research Publication No.12, 113p
Pillai CSG (1967a) Studies on Indian Corals-3, report on a new species of dendrophyllia (Scleractinia, Dendrophyllidae) from Gulf of Mannar. J Mar Biol Assoc India 9(2):407–409
Pillai CSG (1967b) Studies on Indian Corals-5, Prelimnary report on new records of hermatypic corals of the suborder astrocoenina. J Mar Biol Assoc India 9(2):412–422
Pillai CSG (1971a) Composition of the coral fauna of the southeast coast India and the laccadives. Symp Zool Soc Lond 28:301–327
Pillai CSG (1971b) The distribution of shallow water stony corals at Minicoy Atoll in the Indian Ocean with a checklist of species. Atoll Res Bull 141:21–33
Pillai CSG (1972) Stony corals of the seas around India. In: Procedings of Symposium coral and coral reefs. Mar Biol Assoc India, pp 191–216
Pillai CSG (1983) Coral reefs and their environs. Mariculture potential of Andaman and Nicobar Islands- an indicative survey. Bull Cent Mar Fish Res Inst 34:36–43
Pillai CSG, Jasmine S (1989) The coral fauna of Lakshadweep. Bull Cent Mar Fish Res Inst 43:179–199
Pillai CSG, Patel MI (1988) Scleractinian corals from the Gulf of Kachchh. J Mar Biol Assoc India 30(1&2):54–74
Qasim SZ, Wafer MVM (1979) Occurrences of living corals at several places along the West Coast of India. Mahasagar 12:53–58
Raghukumar C, Rahukumar S (1991) Fungal invasion of massive corals PSZNI. Mar Eco 12:251–260
Raghuram KB, Venkataraman K (2005) New records of Porites annae crossland and Porites cylindrical Dana from Gulf of Mannar and Andaman Waters. Rec Zool Surv India 105(Part 1–2):133–138
Raghuraman R, Sreeraj CR, Immanuel Titus, Raghunathan C (2010) Intensive study on the scleractinian coral diversity of Pongibalu, South Andaman. J Environ Sociobiol 7(1):29–36
Raghuraman R, Sreeraj CR, Raghunathan C, Venkataraman K (2012) Scleractinian coral diversity of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in comparison with other Indian reefs. In: Marine biodiversity, one ocean—many worlds of life, Uttar Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, 179pp, 22nd May 2012, pp 75–92
Rajkumar R, Raghuraman R, Satyanarayana C (2010) New records of scleractinians from Andaman Islands. Rec Zool Surv India 110(Part-3):77–92
Ramakrishna ATV, Mondal T, Raghunathan C, Raghuraman R, Sivaperuman C (2010) New records of scleractinian corals in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Rec Zool Surv India Occ 321:1–144
Ravindran J, Raghukumar C, Raghukumar S (1999) Disease and stress-induced mortality of corals in Indian reefs and observations on bleaching of corals in the Andamans. Curr Sci 76(2):233–237
Reddiah K (1970a) The topography of Appa Island and its fringing reef in the Gulf of Mannar. Indian Sci Congr Assoc Proc 57(4):405–406
Reddiah K (1970a) The formation of secondary rock on a reef flat and its effect on reef organisms. Proc Inst Symp Spiuncula dn Echiura, Kotor, 1:18–25
Reddiah K (1977) The coral reefs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Rec Zool Surv India 72:315–324
Rink HJ (1847) Die Nikobarischen Inseln. Eine geographische Skizze, mit spezieller Berücksichtigung der Geograhie. Klein HG, Kopenhagen, 188pp
Satyanarayana C, Ramakrishna (2009) Handbook on hard corals of Gulf of Kachchh. Zool Surv India, Kolkata 114pp
Scheer G, Pillai CSG (1974) Report on the scleractinia from the Nicobar Islands. Zoologica (Stuttgart). 42(122):1–75, pl 1–33
Sewell RBS (1922) A survey season in the Nicobar Islands on the R.I.M.S “Investigator” October 1921 to March 1922. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 28:970–989
Sewell RBS (1925) The geography of the Andaman Sea Basin. Mem Siat Soc Beng 9(10):1–26
Sheppard CRC (1987) Coral species of the Indian Ocean and adjacent Seas: A synonymised compilation and some regional distribution. Atoll Res Bull 307:1–32
Sudarshan D, Mukhopadhyay SK (1967) Record of the Eupsamid coral Dendrophyllia Minusculaa Bourne from the Andamans. J Mar Biol Assoc India 9(1):207–208
Turak E, Souhoka J (2003) Coral diversity and the status of coral reefs in the Raja Ampat Islands. In: Donnelly R, Neville D, Mous P (eds) Report on a rapid ecological assessment of the Raja Ampat Islands, Papua, Eastern Indonesia, held October 30–November 22, 2002. The Nature Conservancy Southeast Asia Center for Marine Protected Areas, Sanur
Turner JR, Vousden D, Klaus R, Satyanarayana C, Fenner D, Venkataraman K, Rajan PT, Subba Rao NV (2001) GOI/UNDP GEF coral reef ecosystems of the Andaman Islands, Zoological Survey of India
Venkataraman K (2000) Status of coral reefs of Gulf of Mannar, India. In: 9th international coral reef Symposium, Bali, p 35
Venkataraman K (2006).Coral reefs in India—National biodiversity authority, Chennai, pp 1–18
Venkataraman K, Rajan PT (1998) Coral reefs of Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park and crown of thorn phenomenon. In: Gangwar B, Chandra K (eds) Symposium Proceedings Islands ecosystem and sustainable development, Andaman Science Association and Department of Science and Technology, A & N Administration, Port Blair, pp 124–132
Venkataraman K, Satyanarayana C, Alfred JRB, Wolstenholme (2003) Hand book on hard corals of India. Zoological Survey of India
Veron JEN (2000) Corals of the world. Australian Institute of Marine Science, 1:463pp, 2:429pp, 3:490pp
Veron JEN, Devantier LM, Turak E, Green AL, Kininmonth S, Stafford-Smith M, Peterson N (2009) Delineating the coral triangle. Galaxea J Coral Reef Stud 11:91–100
Wafar MVM (1999). Status report India. In: Linden O, Sporrong N (eds) Coral reef degradation in the India Ocean, status reports and project presentation, pp 25–26
Wafar MVM, Muley MV, Yennawar P (2000) Status of the coral reefs of the Gulf of Kachchh, India. In: 9th international coral reef Symposium, Bali, Abstract, p 366
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Raghuraman, R., Raghunathan, C., Venkataraman, K. (2013). Present Status of Coral Reefs in India. In: Venkataraman, K., Sivaperuman, C., Raghunathan, C. (eds) Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Marine Faunal Communities. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38200-0_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38200-0_23
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-38199-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-38200-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)