Occurrence of Atlantic reef corals on offshore platforms in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

This paper describes the corals observed on a number of platforms off Texas and Louisiana. Among the corals observed were Diploria sp., Millepora alcicornis, Porites astreoides, Madricis decatis, and Madricis asperula. These are compared to corals found on nearby natural reefs and at the Flower Garden. There follows a discussion of the possible locations that provided coral larvae for the platforms.