Report on the stony corals from the Maldive Archipelago

The history of marine and terrestrial investigations in the Maldives is outlined, starting with Commander R. Moresby's survey from 1834 to 1836. Significant contributions to understanding Maldivian fauna and flora were made by J. S. Gardiner’s expedition (1899-1900), followed by the John Murray Expedition (1933-34) led by R.B. Seymour Sewell, and Major W. W. A. Phillips' collections post-war. The „Xarifa“ Expedition (1957/58) spent months in the Maldives, followed by another from the University of Cambridge in 1964 under D. R. Stoddart. The „Xarifa“ Expedition, led by Dr. H. Hass, gathered diverse marine specimens across various atolls, including fishes, birds, corals, and invertebrates. This work focuses on stony corals collected from Addu, Ari, Rasdu, and Fadiffolu Atolls, along with additional data from Suvadiva Atoll, Gaha Faro, and Miladummadulu Atoll. It reports on 143 reef coral species and 4 ahermatypic species from 52 genera and 14 families, with 57 species illustrated. A table details coral species collected at different stations, including their frequency. A comprehensive checklist of 241 coral species from 75 genera is provided, noting 8 new species and one renaming, along with 10 species recorded for the first time in the Indian Ocean.