13

A CHECKLIST OF FISHES OF THE A L D E R M E N ISLANDS, NORTH-EASTERN NEW Z E A L A N D , WITH ADDITIONS TO THE

FISHES OF RED MERCURY ISLAND

by Roger V . Grace*

S U M M A R Y

Sixty-five species of marine fishes are listed for the Aldermen Islands, and additions made to an earlier list for Red Mercury Island (Grace, 1972), 35 km to the north. Warm water affinities of the faunas are briefly discussed.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

During recent years, and particularly the last four years, over 30 species of fishes have been added to the New Zealand fish fauna through observation by divers, mainly at the Poor Knights Islands (Russell, 1971; Stephenson, 1970, 1971; Doak, 1972; Whitley, 1968). A high proportion of the fishes of northern New Zealand have strong sub-tropical affinities (Moreland, 1958), and there is considerable evidence (Doak, 1972) to suggest that many of the recently discovered species are new arrivals from tropical and subtropical areas. These fishes probably arrive as eggs or larvae, carried by favourable ocean currents, and find suitable habitats for their development at the Poor Knights Islands, where the warm currents that transported the young fish or eggs maintain a water temperature higher than that on the adjacent coast, or islands to the south. Unless these fishes are able to establish breeding populations in New Zealand waters, they are l ikely to be merely transient. If they become established, they may begin to spread and colonise other off-shore islands and the coast. In order to monitor any spreading of new arrivals, or die-off due to inability to breed, it is desirable to compile a series o f fish lists, as complete as possible, for the off-shore islands of the north-east coast o f New Zealand.

Recent checklists of marine fishes have been published for several localities in north-eastern New Zealand (Russell, 1969, 1971; Grace, 1971, 1972a, 1972b). The present paper is another in this series, which wi l l eventually be useful for an integrated study of marine fish distributions, particularly reef-dwelling species, in relation to ocean currents and hydrology, and influx of subtropical species.

The list for the Aldermen Islands is based mainly on observations made by the author on 5 scuba dives and 17 snorkel dives (including 2 snorkel dives at night) during the Auckland University Field Club scientific camp in May 1972. These observations are supplemented by a small number of diving observations during the preceding four years, information from the New Zealand Underwater Association Fish Survey Stage 1 ( N Z U A , 1967, 1971a, 1971b unpub.), and information from fishermen familiar with the area.

*Department of Zoology, University of Auckland, and Marine Research Laboratory, Leigh.

14

The classification system follows that used by Russell (1971). Common names o f fishes are those used by Doak (1972) where possible, or Doogue and Moreland(1966).

The list is incomplete for some groups of smaller fishes, such as the Tripterygiidae, and some of the pelagic, deeper-water or soft-bottom species, but is probably complete for reef-dwelling species.

Observations at the Aldermen Islands not made personally by the author are indicated with an asterisk. Species which are additions to the list for Red Mercury Island, based on information from the N . Z . Underwater Association, and personal communications with divers and anglers, are marked with a dagger, ( t )

LIST O F F I S H E S

Family Carcharhinidae Carcharhinus brachyurus (Gunther)f Bronze whaler shark

Family Alopiidae Alopias caudatus Phillips*} Thresher shark

Family Isuridae Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque*t Mako shark

Family Sphyrinidae Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus)*t Hammerhead shark

Family Dasyatidae Dasyatis brevicaudata (Hutton) Short-tail stingray

Family Myliobatidae Myliobatus tenuicaudatus Hector Eagleray (Fig. 1)

Family Congridae Conger wilsoni (Bloch and Schneider) Conger eel

Family Muraenidae Gymnothorax prasinus (Richardson) Yellow moray

Family Hemirhamphidae Reporhamphus ihi (Phillips) Piper

Family Exocoetidae Cypsilurus melanocercus (Ogilby) Flying fish

Family Gadidae Lotella rhacina (Richardson)* Rock cod

Family Zeidae Zeus faber Linnaeus f John dory

Family Berycidae Trachichthodes affinis (Gunther) Golden snapper

Family Trachichthyidae Hoplostethus elongatus (Gunther)f Slender roughy

Family Serranidae Ellerkeldia huntii (Hector) Redbanded perch Caesioperca lepidoptera (Bloch and Schneider)* Butterfly perch Callanthias splendens Griffin* Splendid perch Caprodon longimanus (Gunther)f Pink maomao Polyprionum oxygeneios (Bloch and Schneider)*! Hapuku

15

Fig: 1. The tarakihi, Nemadactylus macropterus (Bloch and Schneider), photographed with natural light at 80 feet depth at the Aldermen Islands. This commercially important fish is widespread in New Zealand, being important in the Bay of Plenty and in South Island localities.

Fig: 2. The eagleray, Myliobatus tenuicaudatus Hector, partly covered with sand at 15 feet depth, photographed with natural light at the Aldermen Islands. This bottom-dwelling fish is an important preditor on shellfish, and is a predominantly northern species.

16 Family Carangidae

Caranx lutescens (Richardson) Decapterus koheru (Hector) Seriola grandis Castelnau

Family Arripididae Arripis trutta (Bloch and Schneider)

Family Mullidae Upeneichthys porosus (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Family Sparidae Chrysophrys auratus (Bloch and Schneider)

Family Kyphosidae Kyphosus sydneyanus (Gunther) Girella tricuspidata (Quoy and Gaimard) Girella cyanea Macleay Scorpis aequipinnis Richardson Atypichthys strigatus (Gunther)

Family Pempheridae Pempheris adspersa Griffin

Family Histiopteridae Zanclistius elevatus (Ramsay and Ogilby)

Family Aplodactylidae Aplodactylus meandratus (Richardson)

Family Cheilodactylidae Nemodactylus douglasi (Hector)f Nemodactylus macropterus (Bloch and

Schneider)! Cheilodactylus spectabilis Hutton

Family Chironemidae Chironemus marmoratus Gunther

Family Latridae Latridopsis ciliaris (Bloch and Schneider)

Family Pomacentridae Parma microlepis Gunther Chromis dispilus Griffin

Family Odacidae Coridodax pullus (Bloch and Schneider)

Family Labridae Pseudolabrus miles (Bloch and Schneider)! Pseudolabrus celidotus (Bloch and Schneider) Pseudolabrus fucicola (Richardson) Pseudolabrus luculentus (Richardson) Coris picta (Bloch and Schneider) Coris sandageri (Hector) Verreo oxycephalic (Bleeker) Halichoeres sp. A. (Doak, 1972)|

Family Mugiloididae Parapercis colias (Bloch and Schneider)

Trevally Koheru Kingfish

Kahawai

Red mullet

Snapper

Silver drummer Parore Bluefish Blue maomao Mado

Bigeye

Longfinned boarfish

Marblefish

Porae

Tarakihi (Fig. 2) Red moki

Kelpfish

Blue moki

Black angelfish Demoiselle

Butterfish

Scarlet parrotfish Spotty Banded parrotfish Orange parrotfish Combfish Sandager's parrotfish Red pigfish Crimson cleanerfish

Blue cod

17

Family Scombridae Neothunnus macropterus (Temminck and

Schlegel)*t Thunnus alatunga (Gmelin)*f

Family Xistiophoridae Makaira audax Phillips*f Makaira nigricans Laeepede*f Istiompax indicus (Cuvier and Valenciennes)*!

Family Tripterygiidae Tripterygion varium Bloch and Schneider Tripterygion bucknilli Griffin Tripterygion sp. C. (Doak, 1972) Tripterygion sp. D. (Doak, 1972) Gilloblennius tripennis (Bloch and Schneider)

Family Blenniidae Blennius laticlavius Griffin Plagiotremus tapeinosoma (Bleeker)f (see note)

Family Scorpaenidae Scorpaena cardinalis Richardson

Family Gobiesocidae Trachelochismus pinnulatus Bloch and Schneider

Family Aleuteridae Navodon convexirostris (Gunther)

Family Canthigasteridae Canthigaster callisternus (Ogilby)*

Yellowfin tuna Albacore

Striped marlin Blue marlin Black marlin

Mottled blenny Banded blenny Oblique-swimming blenny Yaldwyn's blenny Spectacled blenny

Crested blenny Mimic blenny

Scorpion-fish

Cling fish

Leatherjacket

Sharpnosed pufferfish

Note: The mimic blenny Plagiotremus tapeinosoma is recorded for Red Mercury only. This species has been reported by Doak (1972) from the Poor Knights Islands and the Northland coast as Aspidontus maroubrae. The error in identification has since been pointed out by B.C. Russell (personal communication).

D I S C U S S I O N

The checklist for the Aldermen Islands includes 65 species from 38 families. The additions to the list for Red Mercury Island brings the total number of species for that area to 55 from 33 families.

There are several indications of a more pronounced subtropical element in the fish fauna at the Aldermen Islands than at Red Mercury. The subtropical family Canthigasteridae occurs at the Aldermen, but so far is unknown from Red Mercury. Fishes in the subtropical family Labridae are much more abundant at the Aldermen, particularly Com sandageri, Verreo oxycephalies, Halichoeres sp. A . (Doak, 1972), and Pseudolabrus luculentus. The finding of a single juvenile specimen of the combfish Com picta at the Aldermen is particularly interesting, since it was previously known in New Zealand only from the Poor Knights Islands, where a breeding population has become established in the past four years, and a single specimen reported from Piercy Island (Doak, 1972). (Note: Records in Stephenson (1970) of Cons picta from Hahei on the Coromandel

18

Peninsula, and in Russell (1969) of Coris picta from Goat Island Bay, Leigh, are in error. These were juvenile Coris sandageri.)

The fish fauna of the Aldermen Islands is richer in families, species, and numbers than that of Red Mercury Island, although somewhat below that o f the Poor Knights Islands (at least 96 species from 44 families — Doak, 1972) — the most tropically influenced o f our northern off-shore islands. Water clarity appears lo be more consistently high at the Aldermen than at Red Mercury, indicating greater oceanic influence. A number of benthic and intertidal organisms also indicate greater oceanic and subtropical influence at the Aldermen. For example, Saies et al. (1972) found no evidence of the intertidal vermetid gastropod Novastoa lamellosa, a "subtropical" species (Morton and Mil ler , 1968), at Red Mercury Island, even though it was specifically searched for, yet N. lamellosa is abundant on parts o f the Aldermen Islands (Saies, 1973).

Indications o f more pronounced subtropical characteristics at the Aldermen Islands than at Red Mercury appear to be consistent with the known pattern of oceanic currents, although published detailed information on current systems in the area is lacking. Garner (1969), and Barker and Kibblewhite (1965) show the East Auckland Current, which is subtropical in character, passing close to the Poor Knights Islands, swinging well off-shore to the east of Great Barrier Island, and returning towards the coast in the Bay of Plenty region. The Aldermen Islands are in the northern Bay o f Plenty, further to the south than Red Mercury, and thus the Aldermen are more likely to be influenced by the southern part of the East Auckland Current. Detailed work on the ocean currents o f north-eastern New Zealand should help to clarify this point.

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

I wish to thank my diving companions, Mr Kris Milligan and Miss Anne Saies, for their valuable assistance. Mr A . M . Ayl ing and Mr B . G . Moorhead also supplied useful data, and Mr B . C . Russell kindly read the manuscript, and checked some names and authorities. For any remaining errors, however, the present author is solely responsible.

1')

REFERENCES

Barker, P.H.; Kibblewhite, A.C. 1965: Physical oceanographic data from the "TUI" cruise, 1962. N.ZJ.Sci. 8: 604-634.

Doak, W.T. 1972: "Fishes of the New Zealand Region." Hodder and Stoughton, Auckland. 132 pp.

Doogue, R.B.; Moreland, J.M. 1966: "New Zealand Sea Angler's Guide." (4th ed). Reed, Wellington. 317 pp.

Garner, D.M. 1969: The geopotential topography of the ocean surface around New Zealand. N.Z.Jl mar. Freshwat. Res. 3: 209-219.

Grace, R.V. 1971: A checklist of fishes from the entrance to the Whangateau Harbour, Northland, New Zealand. Tane 17: 129-136.

Grace, R.V. 1972a: Additions to the list of fishes from the entrance to the Whangateau Harbour, Northland, New Zealand. Tane 18: 187.

Grace, R.V. 1972b: A preliminary checklist of marine fishes of Red Mercury Island, north-eastern New Zealand. Tane 18: 91-93.

Moreland, J.M. 1958: The composition, distribution and origin of the New Zealand fish fauna. Proc. N.Z. ecol. Soc. 6: 28-30.

Morton, J.E.; Miller, M.C. 1968: "The New Zealand Sea Shore." Collins, London. 638 pp. N.Z. Underwater Association. 1967: National fish survey. Dive S. Pacif. underwat. Mag.

7(2): 7-9. N.Z. Underwater Association. 1971a: National fish survey, preliminary results. Dive S. Pacif.

underwat. Mag. 10(4): 30-31. N.Z. Underwater Association. 1971b: "National Fish Survey, Stage I." Unpublished report

by N.Z.U.A. Technical Subcommittee, Auckland. Russell, B.C. 1969: A checklist of the fishes of Goat Island, North Auckland, New Zealand,

with an analysis of habitats and associations. Tane 15: 105-113. Russell, B.C. 1971: A preliminary annotated checklist of fishes of the Poor Knights Islands.

Tane 17: 81-90. Saies, A.B. 1973: The intertidal life of Ruamahua-iti and Middle Island (Aldermen Islands).

Tane 19: (this issue). Saies, A.B. ; Beever, S.E.; Hay, J.R.; Woods, R.G. 1972: The intertidal life of Red Mercury

Island Tane 18: 43-55. Stephenson, A.B. 1970: Some new records of fish in New Zealand waters. Rec. Auckland

Inst. Mus. 7: 197-200. Stephenson, A.B. 1971: Further new records of fish in New Zealand waters. Rec. Auckland

Inst. Mus. 8: 235-241. Whitley, G.P. 1968: A checklist of the fishes recorded from the New Zealand region. Aust.

Zoo. 15(1): 1-102.

20