left: a common sight on the mexican reefs—coral
graveyards. a healthy Acropora palmata colony is
surrounded by large stands of the partially eroded
skeletons of its counterparts.
gorgonians from the genera Briareum,
Gorgonia, Pterogorgia, Pseudopterogorgia,
Plex-aura, Pseudoplexaura, and Plexaurella. Black
corals such as Antipathes caribbeana may be
found in deeper waters, on reef slopes. Here,
sponges may also dominate, surpassing Caribbean corals in both species diversity and
coloration. Sponge scientists say that
these ancient creatures may even
take over the Caribbean reefs within
a few decades, as sponge populations
spread and corals recede.
Fish abound on the Mexican
reefs, with large schools of Blue
Tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus), Sergeant Majors (Abudefduf saxatilis),
various wrasses such as Stoplight
Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) and an
occasional majestic French Angelfish
(Pomacanthus paru). Small gobies
can be found perching on top of
brain corals, such as the Neon Goby
(Elacatinus oceanops) and Yellow-prow Goby (Elacatinus xanthiprora).
Although it is clear that fish populations may decline as coral reefs degrade, the waters of Quintana Roo
still provide a spectacular array of
various fish species.
top left: dr. ronald osinga; all others: tim wijgerde
above: fields of sea
fans (Gorgonia ventalina
and G. flabellum) are
common on the reefs
of the Yucatán. the
specimens at the left
and top right show clear
signs of aspergillosis.
right: a rich patch
of several gorgonian
species. the Gorgonia
ventalina colony on
the right shows partial
bleaching.
