Researchers from Baptist University have discovered two new coral species in Hong Kong’s southeastern waters, underscoring the area’s biodiversity despite being close to urban territory.
The university announced on Monday that a team of its marine scientists had identified two new soft coral species – previously unknown worldwide – in rocky reefs off Sung Kong Island, located about five kilometres (three miles) southeast of Hong Kong Island’s Shek O Beach.
One of them, Paraminabea inflata, a yellow or orange coral, was the third of its kind found in Hong Kong, with the species also discovered near Zhuhai’s Heizhou Island, about 17km south of Lantau Island.
“This underscores the high level of diversity of corals in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area,” Qiu Jianwen, a professor of the university’s department of biology, who led the team, told the Post.
“There are only 11 species under the Paraminabea genus in the world and we already have three in Hong Kong.”
The other species, Parasphaerasclera dimorpha, displaying a bright orange-red hue, has been found only in Hong Kong and was the first of its kind reported off the coast of China.
