Soft corals (Anthozoa: Corallimorpharia, Actinaria and Zoantharia) from southeastern of Cuba, and its distribution in Marine Protected Areas

The Caribbean cnidarians are well studied, mainly the builders of reefs (Scleractinea). Cuban marine biodiversity is representative of the Caribbean Sea. However, many localities remain understudied to this moment. In this work, we present the checklist of 22 species of soft corals from the southeastern coast of Cuba. The specimens were collected or observed in shallow waters up to 25 m depth, in 11 localities in Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo provinces. The studied ecosystems include rocky, sandy and muddy bottoms, coral reefs, seagrass and mangroves. The number of recorded species of soft corals in the southeastern coast represent the highest richness in the Cuban platform. Bunodosoma cavernatum is a new record to Cuba. Eighteen species are represented in Marine Protected Areas. It is necessary to assess the conservation status of the populations of these animals, and their use for monitoring the status of MPAs.