Habitat temperature ranges of azooxantellate scleractinian corals in the World Ocean

Based on the study of the scleractinian azooxantellate corals sampled during many marine expeditions of Russian research vessels in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans, habitat temperature ranges of their species were first estimated with compiling of temperature series according to the growing thermophility. The temperature series compiled for these oceanic basins consist of 35, 17 and 10 species, respectively. The confinement of scleractinian species to particular water masses is revealed. These data are thought to be useful for reconstructing ecological and oceanological characteristics in the past geological epochs, since coral species exist for millions years. For example, the temperature series established for scleractinian species may be used for reconstructing water temperatures in Cenozoic oceans and, probably, for determining geological ages for some coral species.