Abstract:
Selayar island waters is wellknown for its high soft corals biodiversity. One the of soft coral that has economic value is Sinularia flexibilis. This soft coral contains compounds of Diterpene Flexibilide and Sinulariolide which can be used in pharmacy as antimicrobial, anti cancer, and anti tumors. The objective of the research was to study distribution and abundance of Sinularia flexibis in Selayar Island Water, as well as to study the relationship between abundance of Sinularia flexibis and water quality and substrate of the seabed. A belt transect method was used to determine the abundance of Sinularia flexibis. Results of this study showed that high abundance of Sinularia flexibis colonies was found within good coral reef condition. Moreover, Sinularia flexibis colonies were observed at all sampling locations with various densities which depend on the coral reef condition and reef topography. Observed dominant colony size at the study site was 30-60 cm (about 74% from the total colony).
