Millepora platyphylla (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) range extended back to the Eastern Pacific, thanks to a new record from Clipperton Atoll

Abstract : The fire coral Millepora platyphylla Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834 (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) has a widespread Indo-Pacific distribution observed from the surface to 40 m (Razak & Hoeksema 2003). However, its extirpation from the East Pacific (Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama) was documented after the 1982-1983 bleaching event (Glynn & Weerdt 1991). Here, we report the discovery of 5 colonies of M. platyphylla from the eastern Pacific, specifically at Clipperton Atoll, during the TARA Pacific expedition (www.taraexpeditions.org).