Annotated Checklist of the Fishes of Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Abstract

A total of 266 species of fishes are listed from Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, of which 258 are reef and shore fishes. The inshore fish fauna of Midway is impoverished by comparison with the 457 species of reef and shore fishes known from the main Hawaiian Islands (Hawaii to Niihau). The fewer fish species reported from Midway must be due partially to less collecting effort. However, the cooler sea temperature and lack of certain high-island habitats at the atoll are probably the principal causes of the disparity. Some species attain larger size at Midway than in the main Hawaiian Islands, and an explanation is proposed for Midway fishes being more easily approached, in general, by divers.