Abstract
Access to coral larvae is crucial for research on early life stages of corals, yet traditional methods for obtaining brooded larvae are labor-intensive and time-consuming. We present a novel method to efficiently collect viable brooded larvae within minutes from colonies of five different scleractinian coral species (Leptastrea purpurea, Leptastrea transversa, Tubastraea faulkneri, Pocillopora acuta, Favia fragum). By immersing the colonies in seawater containing 5–10 g/L potassium chloride for 5–7 minutes, we induced instant larval release. This method yielded a similar quantity of larvae compared to traditional methods. The larvae remained viable, surviving storage for several weeks and settling successfully. Our method is both faster and easier than traditional methods, suitable for application with aquarium-cultured corals or in field stations. The potassium chloride technique was effective for all tested coral species that tolerate elevated potassium ion concentrations without harm. However, it should not be applied to potassium-sensitive corals like Euphyllia. Coral reproduction, larval release, planulation, brooder, spawning, settlement cues