Invasion of Snowflake Coral, <i>Carijoa riisei</i> (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860), in Indian Seas: Threats to Coral Reef Ecosystem

Abstract

Present paper summarizes the occurrence of <i>C. riisei </i> in coral reefs of Indian seas, its likely impacts on the indigenous biota and policies for bioinvasion in the Indian context. With the limited information available on marine bioinvasion in tropical countries, especially in India, there is an urgent need of study on the occurrence and impacts of invasive species on the coral reef environment as this ecosystem harbors 25% of total marine biodiversity and contribute 10% fishery production.