Photograph taken in January 2020
I started photographing Norfolk Island’s inshore reefs in January 2020, with a new camera that I had been given for Christmas. One of the first corals to catch my eye was this stunner. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a wide shot, but I did take this image (right).
In May 2021, Professor Andrew Baird, a coral taxonimost from James Cook University, chanced across my coral photos on this website and wrote to me asking for more information. One of the ones he was interested in seeing more images of was this one.
Regular snorkellers will be familiar with this stunning boulder coral that sits off the Salt House in Emily Bay. I’d love to know from long-time residents how long they’ve been aware of it.
If you read my blog post ‘Barometers of life’ – National Threatened Species Day, I mention how difficult it is to protect species that are not yet described. This beauty is one such. Baird believes this coral is ‘almost certainly undescribed’, but said I could call it Lobophyllia recta sensu Veron for the moment.
I don’t know of any other colonies of this coral species inside the lagoons, but I will keep looking!
Next time you are swimming past (if you are lucky enough to be snorkelling in our lagoons), then give a nod to this magnificent colony – a quite possibly rare endemic species found here on Norfolk Island.
