New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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New and rare tropical and subtropical fishes from northern New Zealand

MALCOLM P. FRANCIS

National Institute of Water & Atmospheric
 Research Ltd
P. O. Box 14 901
Wellington, New Zealand
email: m.francis@niwa.cri.nz

CRAIG J. WORTHINGTON

14 Pomare Rd, Russell
Bay of Islands, New Zealand

PETER SAUL

Blue Water Marine Research
R D 3, Whangarei, New Zealand

KENDALL D. CLEMENTS

School of Biological Sciences
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92 019
Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract  Five fish species (Platax teira, Abudefduf vaigiensis, Chromis flavomaculata, Coris dorsomacula, and Aluterus scriptus) are recorded from New Zealand for the first time, and five species (Forcipiger flavissimus, Chromis vanderbilti, Chrysiptera rapanui, Parma kermadecensis, and Thalassoma lutescens) are newly recorded from mainland New Zealand. Five other species that have been reported previously in the popular press, or by name only, are confirmed as members of the New Zealand fauna (Carcharhinus longimanus, Etelis carbunculus, Istiophorus platypterus, Acanthocybium solandri, and Aseraggodes bahamondei). New observations of 20 previously reported tropical and subtropical species are also presented. Many of the fishes were observed in autumn 1996, 1998, and 1999, indicating recruitment or immigration when sea surface temperature (SST) was higher than average. Major influxes of tropical and subtropical fishes apparently occur during warm summers, although some warm periods were not accompanied by influxes, and a few tropical and subtropical fishes arrived when SST was average or below average. The most likely upstream source of reef fish larvae is Norfolk Island, and the principal transport mechanism is probably the East Auckland Current. The discovery in north-eastern New Zealand of single individuals of Parma kermadecensis and the yellow form of Chrysiptera rapanui, both previously regarded as Kermadec Islands endemics, provides evidence for occasional larval transport from the Kermadecs to north-eastern New Zealand.

Keywords  new records; New Zealand; tropical fish, East Auckland Current

M99007
Received 8 February 1999; accepted 20 April 1999

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (3622K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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