CANBERRA, June 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists from Australia and theSolomon Islands have uncovered one of the most diverse coral reef systems in the world in the Solomon Islands.

    Alison Green, leader of a 15-member team, said they had spent 35 days exploring their discovery -- recording 485 species of coral and 284 different fish types.

    The group believed it had uncovered nine new species of coral and two new species of tropical fish although it needed to be confirmed, she said.

    The discovery shattered previously held suspicions that the most diverse coral regions on the globe ended at Papua New Guinea,according to Green.

    "It's still interesting in this day and age that you can still go to a place and find whole new species," Australian Associated Press on Wednesday quoted her as saying.

    She said the survey results would be announced at the International Coral Reef Symposium next week in Okinawa, Japan.

    The surveyed area had the second highest number of coral species in the world after the Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia, Green said.

    The area also ranked with the top five for fish diversity -- onpar with Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

    She said the reason Raja Ampat and the Solomon Islands had sucha diversity of both coral and fish species was the complexity of the habitat including exposed reefs and sheltered lagoons. Enditem