Three fish new to science are likely to be among the final species count for the expedition team that arrived back from the Kermadecs expedition today.

Expedition leader Dr Tom Trnski of Auckland Museum says they have also recorded 12 species of fish that have never been recorded anywhere in New Zealand before, and collected a further five species that are new records for the Kermadec Islands.

The team which included scientists from Auckland Museum, Te Papa, Department of Conservation, Australian Museum and NIWA spent three weeks observing and collecting specimens to create a record of species diversity in the Kermadecs.

Trnski says the expedition has been a resounding success.

“We set out to explore the biodiversity of the Kermadec islands group, and to build our understanding of how this unique subtropical environment links temperate New Zealand with the wider tropical south-west Pacific.

“We really feel we have been working at the frontiers of marine research, both physically in the sense of working somewhere so remote, and also biologically in the sense of making new discoveries. Every day was exhilarating, as we never knew what we might find.”

The three new species include a bright orange Lotella cod, just 10cm long, which struck marine researcher Carl Struthers from Te Papa as soon as he got a glimpse of it.

“I knew as soon as I saw it in the collecting net that it was something different – it really stood out. I’ve been doing a lot of work on that group of fishes, and I’ve never seen any other Morids from New Zealand that are such a brilliant reddy-orange.”

One of the things that Struthers will do as he begins the process of describing the new species will be to take x-rays of the single specimen, as some of the significant identifying features include the number of vertebrae, and x-rays avoid the need to dissect the specimen.

Other possible new species include a small pipefish, known from just three specimens, and a small left-eyed flounder. Specimens of both will be sent to international fish experts for identification.

Trnski said that good weather allowed the expedition to dive every one of the 15 days they were on location.

Work began on Raoul Island, the largest and northern-most of the Kermadec group, and moved south via Macauley Island, Curtis and Cheeseman islands, and ended up at L’Esperance Rock. Between the fish team and the marine invertebrate teams, specimens were collected from 100 stations.

“It will be many months before Dr Mandy Reid and Dr Stephen Keable from the Australian Museum are able to sort all the invertebrate material and send it to the relevant international experts for identification,” says Trnski.

“But as far as fish are concerned, we collected around 4300 specimens, which we have sorted into 120 different taxa. It is possible that some of the specimens will turn out to be juveniles, so at the moment we think we have between 110 and 120 species.

“Then we have 26 further fish species that were either seen or photographed, so in total we have identified at least 136 species, of which 17 are new records for the Kermadecs.”

Another highlight of the trip is three species which belong to fish families that have never been recorded in New Zealand before. These include the brownspot bigeye, which was collected during the final dive of the trip, and a juvenile trigger fish which was found swimming under a plastic bottle floating past the boat.

“That was a classic example of the serendipity of science,” says Trnski.

The other new family record was juveniles of a tiny silvery surf fish which are found in the white water of the surge zone, a very difficult habitat to sample.

“I was very excited to get half a dozen specimens, and I’m looking forward to working on them when I get back to the museum,” said Trnski.

The honour of finding new species records wasn’t confined just to the fish scientists on board. Photographer Richard Robinson was on board to document the underwater world of the Kermadecs and the science taking place. He was out on the back deck of the expedition vessel Braveheart when a flying fish came aboard – he quickly grabbed it, and not only was it the first specimen recorded on the trip, but it turned out to be a new fish record for New Zealand.

On one of his dives Robinson noticed a flatfish that he didn’t recognise. “I nearly knelt on it. Then I realised it was a fish I’d never seen before, and took a photo. When I showed the photo to the fish scientists they identified it as a flowery flounder. It turned out it was another new record for New Zealand, and I was very pleased about that.”

Trnski says he is very pleased that the expedition has gone without a hitch and while the expedition members are very tired after so much diving and the long hours of work, they are also very satisfied with what has been achieved.

“It was a real privilege to come face to face with the pristine marine environment and inhabitants of the Kermadec Islands Marine Reserve. The large spotted black grouper and abundant Galapagos sharks were a real highlight, and we were all fascinated with the mix of tropical and temperate species that make these islands so unique.”

The specimens have been readied for shipment to the three participating museums.

“We have split the specimens between the Auckland Museum, Te Papa and the Australian Museum. Once the specimens reach the museums then we will begin to work on confirming the identity of everything. In about a year’s time we will publish a large report confirming the expedition’s findings.”

More videos, imagery and table of new fish species findings available on request:
email mcooper@aucklandmuseum.com or phone 09 306 7098