New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Seagrass biodiversity of the Fiji and Samoa islands, South Pacific

Posa A. Skelton
G. Robin South

International Ocean Institute (Australia)
P.O. Box 1539
Townsville
QLD 4810, Australia
email: posa.skelton@impac.org.au

Abstract Five seagrass species and one subspecies distributed in two families (Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae) are reported from the Fiji Islands and the Samoan Archipelago. The Fijian seagrass flora comprises Halophila decipiens, H. ovalis, H. ovalis subspecies bullosa, Halodule pinifolia, Halodule uninervis,and Syringodium isoetifolium. Halophila ovalis, H. ovalis ssp. bullosa,and S. isoetifolium are the only taxa recorded from Samoa. Records of Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea serrulata, Halophila minor,and Halophila ovata credited to Fiji and Samoa are either erroneous or remain to be verified. All the species reported herein have an Indo-Pacific distribution, except H. ovalis ssp. bullosa endemic to Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. Halophila decipiens is confirmed for the first time from Fiji with all specimens collected subtidally from 10–25 m depth.

Keywords seagrasses; biodiversity; Indo-Pacific flora; distribution; Fiji; Samoa; Halophila decipiens; Halophila ovalis ssp. bullosa

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2006, Vol. 40: 345–356
0028–8330/06/4002–0345     © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2006
M05065; Online publication date 3 May 2006. Received 16 October 2005; accepted 5 April 2006

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