PRELIMINARY LIST OF MACROCNEMIC ZOANTHID DIVERSITY (ANTHOZOA: HEXACORALLIA: ZOANTHARIA) FROM SOUTHERN SHIKOKU, JAPAN

Abstract The oceans of southwestern Shikoku are known for their high levels of marine biodiversity due to the presence of temperate, subtropical, and tropical species. In a previous report, we examined the species diversity of brachycnemic zoanthids (Brachycnemina: Zoantharia: Anthozoa: Cnidaria) in southwestern Shikoku in order to provide basic data for future zoanthid research in the region. However, little information on the other suborder of zoanthids, Macrocnemina, exists for this region. This study, based on surveys conducted between 2006 and 2012, aims to fill this gap by providing a species list of macrocnemic zoanthid species from this region, along with informal descriptions, habitat information, and in situ images. In total, these surveys have recorded eight species from five genera in the southern Shikoku region; Epizoanthus ramosus, Epizoanthus sp. C, Epizoanthus sp. S, Parazoanthus sp., Parazoanthus aff. puertoricense, Savalia sp., Antipathozoanthus sp., and Hydrozoanthus gracilis. However, as most specimens were acquired by snorkeling and SCUBA, only the shallowest and most accessible areas have been examined, and it is very likely that the total species diversity of macrocnemic zoanthids in southern Shikoku is much higher than indicated here