One of the most exciting results of Project Phoenix to date is the number of new species we are finding even in well sampled locations such as the Great Barrier Reef. We estimate that the number of new species combined with the high number of nominal species that need to be resurrected from synonym will result in a 5-fold increase in the species richness of the genus Acropora when compared to the last taxonomic revision.

Our species discovery efforts are focused in areas that have yet to be sampled very intensively, such as the Malaysian and Indonesian Coral Triangle, the Philippines and the western Indian Ocean.

Here are recent novel species descriptions in peer-reviewed journals with the list of new species described:

The tables have turned: taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of the Acropora hyacinthus (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) complex
Rassmussen, S.H., Cowman, P.F., Baird, A.H., Crosbie, A.J., Quattrini, A.M., Bonito, V., Sinniger, F., Harii, S., Cabaitan, P.C., Fadli, N., Tan, C., Hung, J.Y., Rongo, T., Huang, D., Halafihi, T., Bridge, T.C.L. (2025) Invertebrate Systematics, 39(8): IS24049

• Acropora tersa Rassmussen, Bridge & Baird
• Acropora harriottae Baird and Rassmussen
• Acropora uogi Randall, Burdick & Bonito
• Acropora nyinggulu Bridge & Rassmussen
• Acropora kalindae Crosbie, Baird, Bridge & Rassmussen

A tenuis relationship: traditional taxonomy obscures systematics and biogeography of the ‘Acropora tenuis’ (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) species complex
Bridge, T.C.L., Cowman, P.F., Quattrini, A.M., Bonito, V.E., Sinniger, F., Harii, S., Head, C.E.I., Hung, J.Y., Halafihi, T., Rongo, T., Baird, A.H. (2024) Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 202 (1):zlad062

• Acropora tenuissima Bonito, Bridge, Fenner & Baird
• Acropora rongoi Bridge & Cowman

Five new species of black coral (Anthozoa; Antipatharia) from the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, Australia
Horowitz, J., Opresko, D., Molodtsova, T.N., Molodtsova, T.N., Beaman, R.J., Cowman, P.F. & Bridge, T.C. (2022) Zootaxa, 5213 (1):1–35

• Antipathes falkorae Horowitz
• Antipathes morrisi Horowitz
• Aphanipathes flailum Horowitz
• Rhipidipathes helae Horowitz
• Hexapathes bikofskii Horowitz

Morphological and molecular description of a new genus and species of black coral (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia: Antipathidae: Blastopathes) from Papua New Guinea
Horowitz, J., Brugler, M.R., Bridge, T.C.L., Cowman, P.F. (2020) Zootaxa 4821 (3): 553–569

• Blastopathes medusa Horowitz

Morphology and molecules reveal two new species of Porites (Scleractinia, Poritidae) from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
Terraneo, T.I., Benzoni, F., Baird, A.H. et al. (2019) Systematics and Biodiversity 17(5):491-508

• Porites farasani Benzoni & Terraneo
• Porites hadramauti Benzoni & Terraneo

Cyphastrea salae, a new species of hard coral from Lord Howe Island, Australia (Scleractinia, Merulinidae)
Baird, A.H., Hoogenboom, M.O., Huang, D. (2017) ZooKeys 662:49-66

• Cyphastrea salae Baird, Hoogenboom & Huang