Cryptic species and hybridisation in corals, ver 2

Conservation and management of coral reef ecosystems will depend on accurate assessments of reef-building coral species diversity. However, the true diversity of corals may be obfuscated by the presence of cryptic species, which are likely much more pervasive than is currently recognised. Additionally, cryptic species may sometimes hybridize, resulting in gene introgression between species. Here, we investigate the prevalence of cryptic coral species via a structured literature review and find that over 50% of population genomic studies show evidence for divisions within taxonomically recognised species and that such closely-related taxa are often linked by gene flow.