A New record of a hard coral species Galaxea fascicularis (Linnaeus, 1767) of (Scleractinia; Anthozoa; Hexacorallia; Zooantharia; Family Oculinidae, Gray, 1847) collected from Paradise Point, Arabian Sea, Sindh Coast, Pakistan

Abstract

We report the first record from Pakistan of Scleractinian coral species Galaxea fascicularis (Linnaeus, 1767) belonging to the Family Oculinidae (Gray, 1847). The specimens have been found in Paradise Point on the Arabian Sea, a beach located at 31 km west of Karachi city, Sindh, Pakistan. Galaxea fascicularis is common in the Indo-Pacific and its presence has been recorded in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden. The present study presents detailed morphological and taxonomical description of the new record.