HONG KONG, Jan 5 — Hong Kong’s busy urban waters have revealed a colourful surprise, with marine biologists discovering two previously unknown soft coral species just offshore.
Researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University identified the new species, named Parasphaerasclera dimorpha sp nov and Paraminabea inflata sp nov, in waters off Hong Kong and neighbouring Zhuhai.
“Our research highlights the value of integrative taxonomy in identifying soft corals with similar appearance and provides new mitochondrial genomic resources to advance their taxonomy in the Indo-Pacific” Professor Qiu Jianwen, the research team leader said in a press statement on the university’s website today.
The team collected coral samples from rocky reefs at depths of 15 to 25 metres around Sung Kong Island in Hong Kong and Heizhou Island in Zhuhai.
The discovery adds to growing evidence that even heavily urbanised seas can harbour rich and hidden marine life waiting to be documented.
One of the new species, Parasphaerasclera dimorpha, stands out with its bright orange-red colour and finger-like shape, marking the first time a coral from its genus has been recorded in Hong Kong.
The second species, Paraminabea inflata, found in both Hong Kong and Zhuhai, had gone unnoticed for years after being mistaken for a similar-looking coral.
Scientists confirmed the discoveries using a mix of traditional visual identification and DNA analysis, allowing them to untangle species that look almost identical to the naked eye.
The team also mapped the corals’ mitochondrial genomes, helping clarify how these new species are related to other corals in the Indo-Pacific region.
While hard corals tend to steal the spotlight for building reefs, soft corals like these are flexible, colourful and often thrive where reef-builders cannot.
The findings, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, highlight how much of Hong Kong’s marine biodiversity remains unexplored beneath its famously crowded skyline.
