New records for hermatypic corals (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) in the Gulf of California, Mexico, with an historical and biogeographical discussion

Abstract

This paper reports range extensions for seven hermatypic coral species in the Gulf of California. An analysis of the distribution and fossil record of the 12 hermatypic species of the Gulf shows that the coral communities of the Gulf are the oldest ones in the eastern Pacific. Two species have been recorded in the Gulf (or nearby) since the Pliocene and several other species since the Pleistocene. The uninterrupted fossil record falsifies the hypothesis of a total extinction of reef corals in the eastern Pacific during the Pleistocene. The fossil evidence and temperature calculations support the conjecture that the Gulf of California was a refuge zone for corals and other warm-water biotas during the same epoch. Also it is suggested that some species of the genera Porites may have an Atlantic origin, contrary to the accepted idea of an exclusive Indo-Pacific origin of the eastern Pacific coral fauna.

Keywords :

• Hermatypic corals
• eastern Pacific
• distribution
• biogeography
• fossil record