wellington's solitary coral

Wellington’s Solitary Coral (Rhizopsammia wellingtoni) is a rare, small, solitary stony coral endemic to the Galápagos Islands. First described in 1982, it was once abundant in shallow, rocky reefs but was devastated by the extreme 1982–83 El Niño event. After vanishing from records post-2000 and feared extinct, a 2024 expedition rediscovered over 250 live colonies across multiple locations—many showing active budding polyps, indicating current reproduction. The coral exists at 2–43 m depths, preferring cool, shaded mesophotic habitats where its lack of photosynthetic algae allows survival beyond sunlit layers. Measuring only 3–6 mm per corallite, its diminutive size contributes to its cryptic nature. This rediscovery highlights both the resilience of some species and the critical importance of persistent conservation efforts. Classified as Critically Endangered, its future depends on protecting cooler reef refugia and continued research to monitor its capacity to recover amid global climate pressures.