Distribution and Abundance of Acanthaster Planci in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea lies between the coral reefs of Micronesia and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia—both have experienced repeated population explosions of Acanthaster planci in the last 25 years. Using questionnaires and in situ observations, we found that A. planci is generally rare in Papua New Guinea. The only reported outbreak occurred on reefs near Samarai, Milne Bay Province.