Corals of the South-West Indian Ocean IV. The Hard Coral Family Faviidae Gregory, 1900 (Scleractinia: Faviina)

This annotated check-list deals with the scleractinian coral family Faviidae in subtropical south-east Africa (the African mainland coast south of the Tropic of Capricorn). Material from the atoll Bassas da India in the Mozambique channel was included. Most species are of wide Indo-Pacific distribution. The faviid fauna of Mozambique was richer (28 species) than the South African fauna (21 species). The fauna of Bassas da India was similar to that on the African mainland coast with four additional species. South-east Africa has a moderately rich faviid fauna compared with other areas in the Indo-Pacific region. Field and laboratory characteristics are described in detail for each species