Deep-sea Benthic Fish of the Hawaiian Archipelago, Cross Seamount, and Johnston Atoll

Abstract

More than 250 benthic fish taxa were photographed and videotaped by Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory submersibles at depths between 40 and 2000 m in the Hawaiian Archipelago, Johnston Atoll, and Cross Seamount. Most of the 213 identified fish species occurred close to hard substrates with holes, ledges, or caves. Twenty-two species (notably the larger sharks, lutjanids, and carangids) are cosmopolitan. Seventy-six species are restricted to various Indo-Pacific areas, 64 in the Pacific, and 51 in the Hawaiian Archipelago including Cross Seamount and Johnston Atoll. There is a rapid decrease in the number of species from 200 to 400 m depth. One hundred eight species were seen 20 m deeper than previously reported. Eleven of the deeper-dwelling animals were found 20 m shallower than previously recorded. Faunal zones were not recognized at any depth. Species newly recorded in Hawai'i include Bathypterois grallator (Goode & Bean), Bodianus cylindriatus (Tanaka), Centrophorus cf. granulosus (Bloch & Schneider), Chaunax fimbriatus Hilgendorf, Caelorinchus spilonotus Sazonov & Iwamoto, Notocanthus sp., Paratrachichthys prosthemius Jordan & Fowler, Prognathodes guezei (Mauge & Bauchot), and Sladenia remiger Smith & Radcliffe. New species collected and reported elsewhere are Centrodraco rubellus Fricke et al., Epigonus glossodontus Gon, Owstonia sp., and Pseudanthiasfucinus (Randall & Ralston). Caelorinchus sp. 2 and Callanthias sp. are probably undescribed. It appears that the Hawaiian deep-sea fish fauna has multiple origins and affinities with many regions.