First records of zooxanthellate Zoanthus (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) from Korea and Japan (East) Sea

This report presents the first records of the zooxanthellate species Zoanthus sansibaricus (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia: Zoanthidae) from Jeju Island, Korea, in the East China Sea, and from Dogo-jima Island in the Oki Islands, Japan, in the Sea of Japan (= East Sea). Its discovery at Jeju Island also represents the first formal record of the order Zoantharia from Korea, while the record from Dogo-jima Island is the first from the Sea of Japan. These two records greatly expand the recorded range of this widespread species, suggesting that it is highly tolerant of winter sea surface temperatures as low as 11.5 °C. Additionally, these records will provide important range limit information to compare with future findings in the face of global warming and predicted northward expansion of benthic zooxanthellate species.