New records and notes on the geographical distribution of the colonial cup coral Coenocyathus bowersi Vaughan, 1906 (Cnidaria, Scleractinia) from northern Chile

Abstract

We present two new records of the colonial cup coral Coenocyathus bowersi Vaughan, 1906 from northern Chile. Colonies were collected off the coastal of Taltal, Antofagasta Region, and off the coast of the city of Iquique, Tarapacá Region, both in northern Chile. Our finds confirm the presence of this species on the Chilean coast and extend the geographic range of this species approximately 765 km north from the only other known occurrences of C. bowersi in Chile.

Keywords

• Antofagasta
• Chilean coast
• Hexacorallia
• Taltal