Taxonomy and zoogeography of cold-water corals in coastal British Columbia

The current state of knowledge of cold-water corals in British Columbia is summarized. Pacific Canada has a more diverse coral community than does Atlantic Canada, as is the case for most taxonomic groups. A list of Pacific Canada's known coral species and potential species based on records from adjacent jurisdictions is presented, along with maps derived from existing records showing all currently known locations of corals in British Columbia. To date, five orders, 24 families, and 59 species of corals are documented from British Columbian waters, but an additional three families and 36 species may also occur in British Columbia, as these species have been documented from adjacent areas, i.e., southeast Alaska, Gulf of Alaska seamounts, and Washington/Oregon.