Patterns of zooxanthellate scleractinia biodiversity in New Caledonia

The coral reefs around New Caledonia cover a total estimated surface of 4.538 km2. A wide range of reef geomorphologies and environmental conditions provide a diverse array of conditions for reef organisms. Taxonomic surveys of important reef taxa such as algae and crustaceans have been conducted. However, a limited number of studies have addressed the total biodiversity of reef Scleractinia and species distribution in New Caledonia. Moreover, the coral fauna of some neocaledonian coral reefs has never been studied until recently. In 2007 two scientific cruises organised by the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) of Noumea have allowed for the first time the scientific exploration of two previously poorly known reef areas in the Southern Province: the Cote Oubliée, on the east side of the main island, and the Cap Bourail region, on the west side, respectively. During both expeditions a taxonomic survey of zooxanthellate Scleractinia has been conducted on coral reefs with different geomorphologic features and exposed to different environmental conditions. The main results of these taxonomic surveys are the first assessment of the extent of coral biodiversity in the examined reefs in the Cote Oubliée and Cap Bourail and the survey of coral species distribution showing some strong patterns between different reef types in both regions