First report of coral diseases in the Republic of Maldives

Little is known about coral diseases in the Indian Ocean region, especially in the Republic of Maldives. This study aimed at documenting the presence of coral diseases in the archipelago of the Maldives. Surveys for lesions in scleractinians conducted at 8 sites around Magoodhoo Island (Faafu Atoll) in October and November 2010 led to the identification of 5 coral diseases and 1 anomalous pigmentation response affecting 8 hard coral genera. White syndrome, skeleton-eroding band disease, black band disease, and Porites dark discoloration response were the most commonly observed conditions. In contrast with several reports of other reef systems, the overall observed prevalence of coral diseases was rather low (<2%), with individual prevalence ranging from 0.7% for skeleton-eroding band to 0.18% for Porites dark discoloration response. These data represent the first report of coral diseases for the Republic of Maldives.