Identification of the soft coral genera Sclerophytum in the waters of the Xisha Islands and the southern waters of Hainan Island

Sclerophytum spp. is widely distributed in coral reef ecosystems. It is a marine organism with medicinal prospects. However, at present, the description of coral species of this genus is at a standstill in China, and it is difficult to identify the species simply by morphology characteristics. In this study, a total of 106 soft coral strains were collected in the Xisha Islands and the southern sea area of Hainan Island. As results, a total of 21 species of Sclerophytum spp. were identified and a preliminary classification system of Sclerophytum spp. was established based on the morphology of sclerites. We established a species identification system for Sclerophytum spp. based on morphology, sclerites and molecular barcodes (COⅠ+28S+MutS), and provided a detailed description of the domestic species of this genus under the new classification system of WORMS, which provides a reference for the identification of this genus in Xisha Islands and the southern waters of Hainan Island and provides basic data for the identification of the coral species and the biodiversity in China.