简介：InthisstudyweassessedthecurrentstatusofcoralreefsalongtheSaudiArabiancoastoftheRedSea.AmongthethreegrowthformsofAcroporidcorals,thebranchingformswerefoundtodominateintheFarassanIslands(44.55%±11.10%cover)followedbytabularformsintheDogaIslands(rangingbetween18%±6.47%and18.30%±9.47%cover).DigitateformswererarelyfoundalongthecoastexceptatMaqna.Amongthefivegrowthformsofnon-Acroporidcorals,weobservedmaximumcoverofbranchingformsintheYanbuoffshorearea(58.89%±15.11%cover)followedbytheJeddahcoast(24.76%±14.04%cover).TheMilleporaspp.,anon-Scleractiniancoral,wasabundantatallthenear-shoresites,suchasJeddah(10.70%±8.21%)andAl-Wajh(9.81%±6.69%).Thelivecoralcover(includingbothScleractinianandnon-Scleractiniancorals)ofSaudiRedSeacoastwasseentobehigherinthenorthandgraduallydecreasetowardsthesouth.PrincipalComponentanalysisshowedthatthecontributionofAcroporidcoralswasgreaterinthesouthernregionthaninthenorthernandmiddleregions,butvice-versainthecaseofnon-Acroporidcorals.Bray-Curtisclusteranalysiscategorizedallthestudysitesintotwomajorclusterswith60%similarity.Amongthem,onecluster-formingsitesfromMaqnatoMasturah(Northernregion)andthesecondonecomprisedthemiddleandsouthernregions(JeddahtoFarassanIslands),andoneoutlierRabigh.