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Issue: Vol. 2422 No. 1: 9 Apr. 2010
Type: Articles
Published: 2010-04-09
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2422.1.6
Page range: 63–68
Abstract views: 67
PDF downloaded: 2

New records of marine fishes illustrate the biogeographic importance of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean

School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia
Sea Research, 20 Rattray Ave, Hydeaway Bay, QLD 4800, Australia
School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia
NSW Department of Primary Industries, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay NSW 2316, Australia
Marine Resources Assessment Group Asia Pacific, Level 30, Central Plaza 1, 345 Queens Street Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
Department of Environment and Climate Change, 59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, Department of Fisheries, Government of Western Australia, P.O. Box 20, North Beach, WA 6920, Australia
Fish Christmas Island Indian Ocean

Abstract

Christmas Island is situated in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean on a biogeographic border where Indian and Pacific Ocean faunas meet. Detailed field studies in 2004, 2007 and 2008, of the island’s fish fauna revealed 30 new records from 15 families. For six families (Dasyatidae, Chanidae, Bramidae, Mugilidae, Siganidae, Molidae) this is the first time a species has been recorded at Christmas Island. Many of the newly recorded fishes appear to have recently colonised the island, and establishing populations will be dependent on the availability of suitable habitat and conspecific mates. These new records illustrate that Christmas Island is important for range expansion because it serves as a critical stepping-stone in the dispersal of Pacific Ocean species into the Indian Ocean and vice versa. Contact between Indian and Pacific Ocean sister species has also resulted in hybridisation at Christmas Island.

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