Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) induced mass mortality at Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a highly contagious disease, causing mass coral mortalities in the Atlantic/Caribbean since 2014. In Puerto Rico, SCTLD was first reported in 2019 off the east coast, spreading to the north-central region by early February 2021. Benthic surveys were conducted at Cueva del Indio (CI) and Peñón de Mera (PM) off Arecibo to (1) quantify coral species-specific SCTLD prevalence using four 10 × 1-m² belt transects and (2) acquire time-series photo and video surveys to illustrate the impact of SCTLD, to evaluate coral species-specific susceptibilities, and estimate the timing of onset in Arecibo. A total of 650 corals in six species (Pseudodiploria strigosa, P. clivosa, Montastraea cavernosa, Siderastrea siderea, Orbicella annularis, Porites astreoides) were recorded inside the belt transects at both sites. SCTLD prevalence varied between 54% (P. strigosa) and 35.5% (M. cavernosa) at CI, and between 87.5% (S. siderea) and 25% (O. faveolata) at PM. Photo/video surveys revealed that SCTLD caused partial mortality in 11 species and full mortality in P. strigosa, P. clivosa, S. siderea, M. cavernosa, and Dendrogyra cylindrus. The results are discussed in view of prior research and contribute to understanding the spread and impact of SCTLD around Puerto Rico, which can be applied to predict its spread to other regions in the Caribbean.