印度-西太平洋胡椒鲷亚科鱼类DNA条形码及分子系统进化研究

为探讨COⅠ基因作为条形码在胡椒鲷亚科鱼类物种鉴定的可行性, 研究测定了胡椒鲷亚科8种鱼类51个个体线粒体COⅠ基因长度为651 bp的序列, 利用MEGA 5.0计算胡椒鲷亚科种内与种间的遗传距离, 基于最大似然法与贝叶斯法构建了系统进化树。结果显示: 胡椒鲷亚科鱼类种间平均遗传距离(0.142)显著大于种内平均遗传距离(0.003), 物种间遗传距离均大于Hebert推荐的物种鉴定最小种间遗传距离0.020(2%)。系统进化树上, 同一物种不同个体间均能形成独立的单系分支, 表明COⅠ基因可作为胡椒鲷亚科物种鉴定的有效条形码基因。研究同时揭示, 在形态分类上被认为是同种异名的两种胡椒鲷(条纹胡椒鲷与东方胡椒鲷)的COⅠ基因序列差异达到0.070, 有可能是两个独立的物种。此外, 在属级水平, 少棘胡椒鲷属与胡椒鲷属种类之间的平均遗传距离小于胡椒鲷属内部种间的遗传距离, 支持少棘胡椒鲷归属于胡椒鲷属的观点。       

北部湾秋季底层鱼类多样性和优势种数量的变动趋势

根据1992年、2001年和2006年秋季在北部湾进行的底拖网调查数据,对该海域鱼类的种类组成、物种多样性、优势种及其数量的变动趋势进行分析。1992年共记录鱼类171种,隶属17目77科;2001年记录鱼类156种,隶属18目71科;2006年记录157种,隶属17目67科。3个年代记录的鱼类均以鲈形目的种类数最多,其中1992年为96种(占56.14%)、2001年90种(占57.69%)和2006年89种(占56.69%)。鱼类的Pielou均匀度指数(J')和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(H')的变化趋势一致:以2001年最高,为0.72和3.64;其次为1992年,为0.64和3.27;2006年最低,分别为0.52和2.64。丰富度指数(D)呈逐年下降的趋势:为1992年的21.03,2001年的20.74和2006年的19.61。建立非线性回归模型对北部湾3个年代出现的6种共有优势种(发光鲷Acropoma japonicum、带鱼Trichiurus haumela、二长棘鲷Parargyrops edita、黄斑鲾Leiognathus bindus、竹荚鱼Trachurus japonicus和黄带绯鲤Upeneus sulphureus)的数量变化趋势进行分析。结果表明:北部湾鱼类中的经济价值较高的优势种逐渐被低值和小型的鱼类所替代,但繁殖力较强和寿命较短的鱼类变动较小。在6种共同优势种中,黄斑鲾和发光鲷的渔获率呈上升趋势;带鱼和黄带绯鲤的渔获率呈下降趋势;而二长棘鲷和竹荚鱼的渔获率基本保持不变。研究结果表明,北部湾鱼类的优势种更替明显,总体变化趋势是k选择种类(以红笛鲷和黑印真鲨等为代表)逐渐被r选择种类(发光鲷、鲾科和天竺鱼科等为代表)所替代,即寿命长、个体大和营养级高的鱼类数量减少,寿命短、个体小和营养级较低的种类增多。     

广东韩江潮州江段鱼类多样性及季节变化

为了解韩江潮州江段鱼类生物多样性及季节变化, 2012年5月至2013年4月, 采用定置刺网和地笼网对韩江潮州江段5个样点开展了渔获物调查。共采集鱼类53种, 隶属8目19科48属, 以鲤形目和鲈形目为主, 分别为27种和11种, 占总种数的50.9%和20.8%; 其中13种为该水域新记录种; 广东鲂(Megalobrama terminalis)、福建小鳔鮈(Microphysogobio fukiensis)、赤眼鳟(Squaliobarbus curriculus)和鲮(Cirrhinus molitorella)为全年优势种。Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(H')、Pielou均匀度指数(E)和Margalef种类丰富度指数(D)均表现出夏季最高, 其后依次是秋季、冬季、春季; Simpson指数(D')秋季最高, 其后是夏季、冬季、春季; Bray-Curtis尾数/种类相似性系数聚类分析和非度量多维标度分析在38.23%的水平上将12个月分为2个群聚: I包括夏、秋季节6个月, II包括春、冬季节6个月, 这与多样性指数H'、E、D和D'的变化趋势一致, 表明韩江潮州江段鱼类资源的季节变化显著, 水温和流量是影响该江段鱼类资源的主要环境因子。10个主要物种被聚合为两大类群, 分别为季节性出现的小型鱼类和常见种。我们认为保护栖息环境、建立适宜的禁渔制度是保护该江段鱼类资源的关键措施。     

南水北调中线工程对海河流域鱼类入侵风险分析

海河流域是南水北调中线工程的受水区之一, 为评估中线工程引发海河流域鱼类入侵的风险, 本研究统计了南水北调引水区和受水区海河流域鱼类物种多样性差异, 采用水生生物入侵能力筛查系统(aquatic species invasiveness screening kit, AS-ISK)和外来鱼类入侵风险评估体系筛选引水区有入侵风险的鱼类物种, 并用MaxEnt模型预测有入侵风险的鱼类物种在海河流域的潜在适生区。结果表明, 丁鱥(Tinca tinca)、陈氏新银鱼(Neosalanx tangkahkeii)和大口鲇(Silurus meridionalis)是具有高入侵风险的鱼类, 另有3种鱼类具有中入侵风险, 均需重点监控; 而具入侵风险鱼类的适生区预测结果表明, 海河流域南部的徒骇马颊河水系、海河水系的漳卫南运河以及环渤海地区的河流是极易发生鱼类入侵的水域。因此在海河流域高入侵风险水域应开展持续性的水生生物监测, 针对具有高入侵风险的鱼类应进行早期筛查, 此外在水资源利用和分配上应加强管理, 从源头上杜绝鱼类入侵的发生, 还应尽快开展针对东线工程的鱼类资源调查和入侵风险评估工作。     

甘肃省鱼类资源现状及DNA条形码在鱼类物种鉴定中的应用

为了摸清甘肃省土著鱼类资源与分布现状, 探索DNA条形码在鱼类辅助物种鉴定中的适用性, 2012年6-9月对甘肃境内黄河水系、嘉陵江水系和河西内陆河水系进行了较全面的鱼类调查。共采集鱼类标本3,087尾, 隶属于5目10科38属64种, 以鲤科种类最多, 为30种, 占总种数的46.88%。物种多样性分析表明, 在黄河水系的夏河和庄浪河多样性指数是所有调查点中最低的, 分别为1.38和1.09。嘉陵江水系各河段的多样性指数较高(H = 2.15-3.27), 其次为河西内陆河水系(H = 2.01-2.83)。在河西内陆河水系中, 疏勒河的均匀度指数最高, 为1.10, 黑河最低(0.68)。庄浪河的优势度指数最高, 为0.34, 而嘉陵江干流两当段的优势度指数在所有调查点中最低, 为0.04。利用DNA条形码分析了49种662尾标本的COI基因部分序列, 大部分种类在neighbor-joining系统树中形成各自的单系, 种内平均遗传距离0.88%, 种间平均遗传距离为9.99%, 在种内和种间COI序列遗传距离之间形成明显的条形码间隙, 斯氏高原鳅(Triplophysa stoliczkae)与达里湖高原鳅(T. dalaica), 甘肃高原鳅(T. robusta)与似鲇高原鳅(T. siluroides), 嘉陵裸裂尻鱼(Schizopygopsis kialingensis)与黄河裸裂尻鱼(S. pylzovi)之间的遗传距离低于2%, 甘肃高原鳅与似鲇高原鳅不能通过COI基因片段区分开, 其他两对物种可以采用核苷酸诊断法来进一步区分。斯氏高原鳅和拉氏鱼岁(Phoxinus lagowskii)种内遗传分歧较大, 揭示种内可能存在隐存种。结果表明, 对某些近缘种和不同地理种群差异较大的物种, 要将分子、形态和地理分布特点结合起来才能准确鉴定。     

泉州湾海域鱼类多样性及营养级变化

利用2008年5月和10月在泉州湾进行的拖网渔业资源调查资料, 探讨了该海域鱼类群落结构和物种多样性特征。结果表明, 两次拖网调查共鉴定鱼类54种, 隶属于2纲13目32科。其中中上层鱼类12种, 近底层鱼类19种, 底层鱼类23种; 暖水性鱼类40种, 暖温性鱼类14种, 未发现冷温性和冷水性种类; 杂食性鱼类4种, 低级肉食性鱼类37种, 中级肉食性鱼类8种, 高级肉食性鱼类5种。白姑鱼(Argyrosomus argentatus)和叫姑鱼(Johnius belengerii)是5月份最主要的优势种, 凤鲚(Coilia mystus)和龙头鱼(Harpodon nehereus)是10月份最主要的优势种。与1985年的调查资料相比, 泉州湾鱼类组成和优势种发生了很大的变化, 多样性指数由3.05下降到2.32, 均匀度指数由0.76下降到0.58, 营养级指数由2.79下降到2.54。泉州湾鱼类多样性下降的主要原因可能是过度捕捞、水域污染和栖息地丧失等。     

北部湾雷州近海春、夏季鱼类群落结构初探

根据2005年4月、7月和8月在北部湾雷州近海进行的渔业资源刺网和底拖网调查,对该海域春、夏季鱼类群落结构进行了初步研究.结果表明,银鲳(Stromateoides argenteus)是当地绝对的优势种,其它鱼类优势种随区域和季节有着较大的差异.分别计算了北部湾雷州近海春、夏季鱼类生物多样性指数的种类丰度指数(R)、多样性指数(H')、均匀度指数(J').聚类分析表明该水域鱼类群落结构存在一定程度的时空异质性,但空间异质性不如时间异质性明显.此外,不同群落中的鱼类呈现出不同的生态型特征.同时部分结果表明,在不同网具的调查下,有的结果会出现较大变化.     

象山港游泳动物群落结构及多样性

根据2011年4月(春季)、7月(夏季)和11月(秋季)象山港水域渔业资源定点调查资料,本研究对该水域游泳动物种类组成特征及群落结构的季节动态进行了分析.结果表明:调查海域共出现游泳动物96种,其中鱼类54种,甲壳类38种,头足类4种;黑棘鲷(Acanthopagrus schlegelii)、中国花鲈(Lateolabrax maculatus)和鲻(Mugil cephalus)等是该水域最为重要的优势种;不同季节象山港游泳动物群落的物种丰富度指数(D)、均匀度指数(J’)和多样性指数(H')虽未呈现显著性差异,但其群落结构的季节差异却达到了显著性水平,夏季与春季、秋季的游泳动物群落结构显著不同;黑棘鲷等优势种类优势度存在的季节差异以及白姑鱼(Pennahia argentata)和三疣梭子蟹(Portunus trituberculatus)等洄游性种类仅能在象山港季节性分布,可能是造成该水域游泳动物群落结构季节差异的主要因素.ABC曲线分析结果表明,象山港水域游泳动物群落处于中度干扰状态,群落中个体较小、生长速度较快的r选择种类在该水域游泳动物群落中占据重要地位.     

灰裸顶鲷卵子和仔鱼发育的观察

灰裸顶鲷Gymnocranius griseus(Temminck et Schlegel)(广东省渔民称白鲷、白立)是南海重要底栖经济鱼类之一。属线尾鲷科Pentapodidae。在南沙群岛南部和湄公河口外海,北部湾、南海北部都是底拖网重要捕捞对象之一。多栖息在水深60—100米泥沙底质处,特別是在北部湾,珠江口外海及海南岛的清澜至陵水一带诲区分布较密集。我所1966年在南海北部底拖网鱼类资源调查时,灰裸顶鲷在渔获物组成中,春季为30.7％,夏季为3.43％,秋季为3.98％,冬季为5.05％。1975—1976年在西沙群岛和中沙群岛礁盘调查中,灰裸顶鯛又是底延绳钓渔业的重要渔获物之一,且个体较大,一般体长在250—350亳     

长山列岛邻近海域鱼类群落种类组成和多样性时空变化

为了解黄、渤海生态系统交错带长山列岛邻近水域鱼类群落种类组成和多样性,根据2016年10月,2017年1月、5月及8月进行的鱼类资源底拖网调查数据,应用相对重要性指数、物种多样性指数、k优势度曲线等方法,研究了长山列岛邻近海域鱼类群落种类组成、物种多样性时空变化及其与环境因子的关系。结果表明: 该海域共计捕获鱼类77种,以温水性、底层、洄游性鱼类为主,优势种组成季节变化明显,春季、冬季主要优势种为黄鮟鱇,夏季以日本鲭、鳀等中上层鱼类为主。全年共计出现洄游性鱼类46种,季节间物种迁移指数均在100以上,其中秋季物种迁移指数最大。鱼类群落物种丰富度指数在春季最高、Shannon多样性指数和均匀度指数在秋季最高。夏季物种丰富度指数与表层水温呈显著负相关;冬季物种丰富度指数与水深、底层水温呈极显著正相关,Shannon多样性指数与底层水温呈极显著正相关。长山列岛邻近海域作为黄、渤海两大生态系统的交错带,鱼类群落表现出高物种多样性、洄游种多以及明显的时空异质性。     

西沙群岛礁栖鱼类物种多样性及其食性特征

通过新的方法(即潜水调查法)调查了西沙群岛浅水区的礁栖鱼类, 并从食性角度分析鱼类群落特征及其对水质环境变化的响应。2006年5-6月, 对西沙群岛6个岛礁(东岛、永兴岛、羚羊礁、金银岛、华光礁和中建岛)共10个站位的礁栖鱼类种类、数量和长度进行了调查, 结合公开资料(FishBase等)确定鱼类食性。共记录到29科71属119种鱼, 其中50种是新记录。至此, 西沙群岛的鱼类总记录已达到717种。从不同站位来看, 永兴岛西的种类数量和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数均最高。多数鱼种分布范围狭小。摄食浮游动物和底栖无脊椎动物的鱼类是优势类群, 而草食性、杂食性和食物链顶端食性的鱼类数量和生物量较低, 反映出西沙群岛珊瑚礁生态系统整体上健康稳定。永兴岛的杂食性鱼类的数量比例和生物量比例均高于其他岛礁, 反映出鱼类群落已对水体富营养化产生响应。     

Comparison between community structures of fishes in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enhalus acoroides</Emphasis>- and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thalassia hemprichii</Emphasis>-dominated seagrass beds on fringing coral reefs in the Ryukyu Islands,Japan

To clarify differences in community structures and habitat utilization patterns of fishes in Enhalus acoroides- and Thalassia hemprichii-dominated seagrass beds on fringing coral reefs, visual censuses were conducted at Iriomote and Ishigaki islands, southern Japan. The numbers of fish species and individuals were significantly higher in the E. acoroides bed than in the T. hemprichii bed, although the 15 most dominant fishes in each seagrass bed were similar. Cluster and ordination analyses based on the number of individuals of each fish species also demonstrated that fish community structures were similar in the two seagrass beds. Species and individual numbers of coral reef fishes which utilized the seagrass beds numbered less than about 15% of whole coral reef fish numbers, although they comprised about half of the seagrass bed fishes. Of the 15 most dominant species, 5 occurred only in the two seagrass beds, including seagrass feeders. Ten other species were reef species, their habitat utilization patterns not differing greatly between the two seagrass beds. Some reef species, such as Lethrinus atkinsoni and L. obsoletus, showed ontogenetic habitat shifts with growth, from the seagrass beds to the coral areas. These results indicate that community structures and habitat utilization patterns of fishes were similar between E. acoroides- and T. hemprichii-dominated seagrass beds, whereas many coral reef fishes hardly utilized the seagrass beds.     

Community structure and biogeography of shore fishes in the Gulf of Aqaba,Red Sea

Shore fish community structure off the Jordanian Red Sea coast was determined on fringing coral reefs and in a seagrass-dominated bay at 6 m and 12 m depths. A total of 198 fish species belonging to 121 genera and 43 families was recorded. Labridae and Pomacentridae dominated the ichthyofauna in terms of species richness and Pomacentridae were most abundant. Neither diversity nor species richness was correlated to depth. The abundance of fishes was higher at the deep reef slope, due to schooling planktivorous fishes. At 12 m depth abundance of fishes at the seagrass-dominated site was higher than on the coral reefs. Multivariate analysis demonstrated a strong influence on the fish assemblages by depth and benthic habitat. Fish species richness was positively correlated with hard substrate cover and habitat diversity. Abundance of corallivores was positively linked with live hard coral cover. The assemblages of fishes were different on the shallow reef slope, deep reef slope and seagrass meadows. An analysis of the fish fauna showed that the Gulf of Aqaba harbours a higher species richness than previously reported. The comparison with fish communities on other reefs around the Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean supported the recognition of an Arabian subprovince within the Indian Ocean. The affinity of the Arabian Gulf ichthyofauna to the Red Sea is not clear. Received in revised form: 2 November 2001 Electronic Publication     

马鞍列岛岩礁生境鱼类群落生态学.Ⅰ.种类组成和多样性

为了解潮下带岩礁生境的鱼类区系特征,于2009年对马鞍列岛岩礁生境进行了12个月的多网目组合刺网采样,从分类学和生态型组成等方面,结合多样性和相对重要性指数,对该生境的鱼类组成和多样性特征进行了分析。全年共采集鱼类87种,隶属2纲14目50科73属。其中鲈形目鱼类51种,占58.6%;趋礁性鱼类49种,占56.3%;放流鱼类7种,占8%。所有鱼类个体中,幼鱼的总比例为67.4%。暖水种、暖温种和冷温种分别为50、36和1种;底层、近底层和中上层鱼类各为19、46和22种,其中褐菖鲉(Sebasti scus marmoratus)、黄姑鱼(Nibea albiflora)和赤鼻棱鳀(Thryssa kammalensis)分别为各水层的绝对优势种;定居种、季节性洄游种和偶见种各为32、55和11种。岩礁生境鱼类多样性呈现明显的季节变化特征,2月份最低,9月份最高。研究结果表明,马鞍列岛岩礁生境是以趋礁鱼类为特征群体、暖水性和暖温性鱼类共同主导、各个类型的幼鱼在夏秋季集群出现、同时也分布了一定量放流种的高鱼类多样性栖息地,它为各种鱼类提供了优良的摄食、避敌和繁殖场所,是近岸海洋生态系统中相当重要的生境。然而相比过去,该生境的鱼类多样性已经大大降低,因此需对其保护工作予以更多关注。     

Recruitment of coral reef fishes along a cross-shelf gradient in the Red Sea peaks outside the hottest season

Knowledge on the early life history, ecology, and biology of marine species is crucial for future projections of the resilience of coral reef ecosystems and for adequate management strategies. A fundamental component of population dynamics is the recruitment of new individuals, and in some marine populations, this may be a limiting factor. Recruitment peaks of coral reef fishes commonly occur during the warmer months of the year in many subtropical and temperate locations worldwide. In the Red Sea, very little is known about the influence of temperature on reproductive patterns of coral reef fishes and studies on recruitment are missing. The Red Sea is one of the hottest and most isolated tropical seas in the world. We hypothesized that sea surface temperatures (SSTs) during the Red Sea’s hottest season may exceed the optimum for successful recruitment of some coral reef fishes, which therefore has to occur during other, cooler seasons, unlike recruitment among coral reef ecosystems around the world. We identified taxa among fish recruits by matching mitochondrial DNA sequences (using COI, commonly known as “barcoding”) and assessed potential biological and environmental drivers of recruitment. We studied three reefs located along a cross-shelf gradient for 12 consecutive months in the central Red Sea to capture seasonal changes in biotic and abiotic parameters along this gradient. Our results indicated that recruitment peaks did not occur during the hottest SSTs for most taxa, especially at the hottest inshore and mid-shelf reefs, and identified fish recruitment to be mainly and strongly correlated with the biomass of planktonic invertebrates. Moreover, temporal patterns of fish recruitment differed within and among taxonomic families among the reefs.

     

Predators reduce abundance and species richness of coral reef fish recruits via non-selective predation

Predators have important effects on coral reef fish populations, but their effects on community structure have only recently been investigated and are not yet well understood. Here, the effect of predation on the diversity and abundance of young coral reef fishes was experimentally examined in Moorea, French Polynesia. Effects of predators were quantified by monitoring recruitment of fishes onto standardized patch reefs in predator-exclosure cages or uncaged reefs. At the end of the 54-day experiment, recruits were 74% less abundant on reefs exposed to predators than on caged ones, and species richness was 42% lower on reefs exposed to predators. Effects of predators varied somewhat among families, however, rarefaction analysis indicated that predators foraged non-selectively among species. These results indicate that predation can alter diversity of reef fish communities by indiscriminately reducing the abundance of fishes soon after settlement, thereby reducing the number of species present on reefs.     

An annotated list of fish parasites (Isopoda, Copepoda, Monogenea, Digenea, Cestoda, Nematoda) collected from Snappers and Bream (Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae, Caesionidae) in New Caledonia confirms high parasite biodiversity on coral reef fish

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Coral reefs are areas of maximum biodiversity, but the parasites of coral reef fishes, and especially their species richness, are not well known. Over an 8-year period, parasites were collected from 24 species of Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae and Caesionidae off New Caledonia, South Pacific. RESULTS: Host-parasite and parasite-host lists are provided, with a total of 207 host-parasite combinations and 58 parasite species identified at the species level, with 27 new host records. Results are presented for isopods, copepods, monogeneans, digeneans, cestodes and nematodes. When results are restricted to well-sampled reef fish species (sample size[THIN SPACE]>[THIN SPACE]30), the number of host-parasite combinations is 20[EN DASH]25 per fish species, and the number of parasites identified at the species level is 9[EN DASH]13 per fish species. Lutjanids include reef-associated fish and deeper sea fish from the outer slopes of the coral reef: fish from both milieus were compared. Surprisingly, parasite biodiversity was higher in deeper sea fish than in reef fish (host-parasite combinations: 12.50 vs 10.13, number of species per fish 3.75 vs 3.00); however, we identified four biases which diminish the validity of this comparison. Finally, these results and previously published results allow us to propose a generalization of parasite biodiversity for four major families of reef-associated fishes (Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae, Serranidae and Lethrinidae): well-sampled fish have a mean of 20 host-parasite combinations per fish species, and the number of parasites identified at the species level is 10 per fish species. CONCLUSIONS: Since all precautions have been taken to minimize taxon numbers, it is safe to affirm than the number of fish parasites is at least ten times the number of fish species in coral reefs, for species of similar size or larger than the species in the four families studied; this is a major improvement to our estimate of biodiversity in coral reefs. Our results suggest that extinction of a coral reef fish species would eventually result in the coextinction of at least ten species of parasites.     

Importance of live coral habitat for reef fishes

Live corals are the key habitat forming organisms on coral reefs, contributing to both biological and physical structure. Understanding the importance of corals for reef fishes is, however, restricted to a few key families of fishes, whereas it is likely that a vast number of fish species will be adversely affected by the loss of live corals. This study used data from published literature together with independent field based surveys to quantify the range of reef fish species that use live coral habitats. A total of 320 species from 39 families use live coral habitats, accounting for approximately 8 % of all reef fishes. Many of the fishes reported to use live corals are from the families Pomacentridae (68 spp.) and Gobiidae (44 spp.) and most (66 %) are either planktivores or omnivores. 126 species of fish associate with corals as juveniles, although many of these fishes have no apparent affiliation with coral as adults, suggesting an ontogenetic shift in coral reliance. Collectively, reef fishes have been reported to use at least 93 species of coral, mainly from the genus Acropora and Porities and associate predominantly with branching growth forms. Some fish associate with a single coral species, whilst others can be found on more than 20 different species of coral indicating there is considerable variation in habitat specialisation among coral associated fish species. The large number of fishes that rely on coral highlights that habitat degradation and coral loss will have significant consequences for biodiversity and productivity of reef fish assemblages.     

Coral Reefs at the Northernmost Tip of Borneo: An Assessment of Scleractinian Species Richness Patterns and Benthic Reef Assemblages

The coral reefs at the northernmost tip of Sabah, Borneo will be established under a marine protected area: the Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) by the end of 2015. This area is a passage where the Sulu Sea meets the South China Sea and it is situated at the border of the area of maximum marine biodiversity, the Coral Triangle. The TMP includes fringing and patch reefs established on a relatively shallow sea floor. Surveys were carried out to examine features of the coral reefs in terms of scleractinian species richness, and benthic reef assemblages following the Reef Check substrate categories, with emphasis on hard coral cover. Variation in scleractinian diversity was based on the species composition of coral families Fungiidae (n = 39), Agariciidae (n = 30) and Euphylliidae (n = 15). The number of coral species was highest at reefs with a larger depth gradient i.e. at the periphery of the study area and in the deep South Banggi Channel. Average live hard coral cover across the sites was 49%. Only 7% of the examined reefs had > 75% hard coral cover, while the majority of the reef sites were rated fair (51%) and good (38%). Sites with low coral cover and high rubble fragments are evidence of blast fishing, although the observed damage appeared old. Depth was a dominant factor in influencing the coral species composition and benthic reef communities in the TMP. Besides filling in the information gaps regarding species richness and benthic cover for reef areas that were previously without any data, the results of this study together with information that is already available on the coral reefs of TMP will be used to make informed decisions on zoning plans for conservation priorities in the proposed park.