The Central Indo-Pacific Region
The Central Indo-Pacific Region comprises the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean, the eastern Indian Ocean, and their connecting seas. It includes the eastern shores of the tropical Indian Ocean including most of the Indian Ocean coast of the East Indies, the northern Australian coast, and Cocos and Christmas islands. It extends through the tropical seas connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans including the Java Sea, the South China Sea, and the Arafura Sea. It additionally includes the seas surrounding island groups in the western Pacific, among them the Ryukyu Islands, Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, The Fijian Islands, Vanuatu, and Norfolk Island. It is bounded on the west by the Western Indo-Pacific, with the transition at the Strait of Malacca and in southern Sumatra. The Central Indo-Pacific includes the seas surrounding the northern half of Australia, while the Temperate Australasia Region includes the seas surrounding the southern half. The boundaries between the two regions lie in Western Australia and southern Queensland. The Eastern Indo-Pacific lies to the east, extending across most of tropical Polynesia. To the north, the Taiwan Strait forms the boundary with the Temperate Northern Pacific Region, which also includes the larger Japanese islands. The region contains a number of deep-sea trenches, among them the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on the planet. It is also notable for the so-called Coral Triangle. Called the ‘Amazon of the seas’, it is defined within a large triangular area in the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor. Representing the greatest diversity of tropical corals in the world, it includes both the largest and second largest coral formations in the world (i.e. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the New Caledonia Barrier Reef ).
Species and subspecies
The dugong (Dugong dugon) still survives patchily in the coastal areas of the Central Indo-Pacific as well. Small numbers are believed to live in the Straits of Johor and along southern China (including Hainan), Vietnam, and Cambodia, as well as in the waters around the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia. It was common throughout the Philippines until the 1970s, but has been much reduced there since. Relict populations exist around the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Palau, the Ryukyu Islands, and perhaps Taiwan. The species has its last stronghold, however, along the coasts of the northern half of Australia, where it was historically very abundant. In 1883, to give an example, a herd of dugongs almost 5 km long and 275 m wide was reported in Moreton Bay, near Brisbane. The population in Shark Bay, Western Australia is thought to number over 10,000, and other considerable pockets exist in Ashmore Reef, the seagrass meadows of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Torres Strait, the Great Barrier Reef, and a few large bays in Queensland.
The snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni) is endemic to the shallow coastal waters of northern Australia and southern New Guinea, where it is threatened by a variety of human activities.
The western Pacific subpopulation of the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) nests primarily in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and to a lesser extent in Vanuatu. Its marine habitat extends north into the Sea of Japan, north-east and east into the North Pacific to the west coast of North America, west to the South China Sea and the waters of Indonesia, and south into the western South Pacific and Tasman Sea. The once large nesting population in Terrengannu, Malaysia is now functionally extinct.
The South Pacific subpopulation of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests in eastern Australia and New Caledonia, although its marine habitats extend throughout the entire South Pacific from Australia to South America.
The flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus) is confined to the coastal waters of northern, eastern, and western Australia, southern Indonesia, and southern New Guinea. It is considered to be the least threatened of the sea turtles despite having by far the smallest range, as it rarely swims far from shore and is in little demand for meat. It nevertheless remains vulnerable, particular on its nesting beaches.
The estuarine sea snake (Hydrophis vorisi) is known only from two specimens collected from the Torres Strait between southern New Guinea and northern Australia. The fine-spined sea snake (H. czeblukovi) is known only from six specimens collected off northern and north-western Australia and coastal north-eastern New Guinea.
The brown-lined sea snake (Aipysurus tenuis) is known only from its original collection during the early twentieth century and by a few mostly dead specimens collected by trawlers off the north-western coast of Australia. The leafscaled sea snake (A. foliosquama) was historically endemic to the Ashmore and Hibernia reefs off north-western Australia, but is believed to be extirpated there. In 2015 the species was discovered in the seagrass beds of Shark Bay, Western Australia. The short-nosed sea snake (A. apraefrontalis) is known only from Ashmore, Hibernia, and Ningaloo Reefs off the coast of north-western Australia. The dusky sea snake (A. fuscus) appears to be confined to the Ashmore, Hibernia, Scott, and Seringapatam Reefs off the north-western coast of Australia. All are threatened by fisheries by-catch and, perhaps, the effects of climate change and/or coral loss.
Zweifel’s beaked sea snake (Enhydrina zweifeli) is known only from a single specimen collected in 1966 off the mouth of the Sepik River, north-eastern New Guinea.
The bighead sea snake (Kolpophis annandalei) is known only from a few specimens collected from continental and insular shelves off Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and possibly Java, Sumatra, and northern Borneo.
The anomalous sea snake (Thalassophis anomalus) is a little-known species that has been collected sporadically throughout the Central Indo-Pacific.
The Borneo shark (Carcharhinus borneensis) is known only from five specimens originating mainly from the seas around Borneo. It has not been reported since 1937.
The whitefin topeshark (Hemitriakis leucoperiptera) is a little-known inshore shark found only in heavily fished and polluted Philippine coastal waters.
Several species of carpet or epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium) are threatened by overfishing and habitat destruction. The hooded carpet shark (H. strahani) is found patchily in the shallow coastal waters of northern New Guinea. Henry’s carpet shark (H. henryi) is known only from the southern coast of the Bird’s Head Peninsula in western New Guinea. Michael’s carpet shark (H. michaeli) is found patchily in the shallow seas east of New Guinea. The Cenderawasih carpet shark (H. galei) is confined to Cenderawasih Bay off north-western New Guinea, where it is afforded some protected from fisheries within Teluk Cendrawasih National Park. The Raja Ampat carpet shark (H. freycineti) is confined to the shallow seas around the Raja Ampat Islands off the western coast of New Guinea.
The Bali catshark (Atelomycterus baliensis) appears to be confined to coral reefs off southern Bali, where it is threatened by dynamite fishing.
The pale catshark (Apristurus sibogae) is a deep-water species known only from a single specimen collected from the Makassar Strait, between the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, during the early twentieth century.
The eastern banded catshark (Atelomycterus marnkalha) is an uncommon species from the northern and north-eastern coasts of Australia including parts of the Arafura Sea, the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the Torres Strait.
The white-clasper catshark (Parmaturus albipenis) and the whitelip catshark (P. albimarginatus) are each known only from a single specimen collected off the northern coast of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
Garrick’s river shark (Glyphis garricki) and the speartooth shark (G. glyphis) are found in scattered tidal rivers and associated fresh and brackish coastal waters in northern Australia and southern New Guinea, where they are extremely rare. Both are seriously threatened by overfishing and habitat degradation.
The speckled swellshark (Cephaloscyllium speccum) is known only from a few specimens collected from a relatively small area off north-western Australia between Rowley Shoals and Ashmore Reef. The reticulated swellshark (C. fasciatum) is found patchily along the continental and insular shelves of southern Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, where it is seriously threatened by overfishing.
The slender sawtail catshark (Galeus gracilis) is known only from a few isolated records across a relatively wide area off northern Australia. The dwarf sawtail catshark (G. schultzi) is known only from deep waters off Luzon in the Philippines. Both are potentially threatened by fisheries bycatch.
The Indonesian angelshark (Squatina legnota) is known only from a few specimens collected from four deep-water localities in southern Indonesia (western Java to Flores). It is seriously threatened by overfishing.
The whitefin smoothhound (Mustelus widodoi) appears to be largely or entirely confined to the waters around Bali.
Montalban’s spurdog (Squalus montalbani) is a type of dogfish found widely but patchily along the continental and insular shelves of Taiwan, the Philippines, the southern coast of Java and the eastern and western coasts of Australia. It is everywhere threatened by overfishing.
The Jimbaran Bay guitarfish (Rhinobatos jimbaranensis) is known only from the waters off Bali and Lombok in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Penggal’s guitarfish (R. penggali) is confined to the insular shelf from southern Sumatra and along the southern coast of Java. Both are threatened by overfishing.
The Australian cownose ray (Rhinoptera neglecta) is found disjunctly in northern and north-eastern coastal Australia, where it is threatened by fisheries by-catch.
The Ningaloo maskray (Neotrygon ningalooensis) is known only from a few specimens collected from shallow water off Western Australia.
The roughnose stingray (Pastinachus solocirostris) is confined to shallow estuarine waters associated with mangroves on the coast of Borneo, eastern Sumatra, and possibly northwestern Java. It is threatened by overfishing and loss of habitat.
The estuary stingray (Hemitrygon fluviorum) was historically common within the coastal waters of southern New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia, but has undergone a significant decline due to habitat destruction and fisheries bycatch.
The tubemouth whipray (Urogymnus lobistomus) is known only from brackish inshore waters off Sumatra, the southern Malay Peninsula, and Borneo, where it is associated with runoff from large rivers and mangrove forests. While relatively common where it occurs, its range and habitat are highly restricted and the species is heavily exploited.
Hortle’s whipray (Pateobatis hortlei) is known only from shallow estuaries and mud flats along the south-western coast of New Guinea. It is threatened by fisheries by-catch and loss of habitat.
Members of the genus Urolophus are small stingrays mainly found in the western Pacific. The Javan stingaree (U. javanicus) is known only from a single specimen collected in 1864, off the north-western coast of Java. It is possibly extinct, a victim of fishing pressure. The New Ireland stingaree (U. armatus) is known only from a single specimen collected between 1822 and 1825. The Kai stingaree (U. kaianus) is known only from two specimens collected in the Kai Islands in the 1870s.
Annandale’s skate (Rajella annandalei) is known only from the Halmahera and Banda seas in eastern Indonesia, where it may be vulnerable to deeper trawl fisheries.
The blue legskate (Sinobatis caerulea) is known only from a small area off the coast of Western Australia between Dirk Hartog Island to the North West Cape.
The false argus skate (Dipturus falloargus) is an uncommon species confined to the outer continental shelf along the north-western coast of Australia. The blacktip skate (D. melanospilus) is confined to the upper continental shelf along the north-eastern coast of Australia (Queensland and New South Wales). Both are potentially threatened by fisheries by-catch.
The western Australian round skate (Irolita westraliensis) is confined to a small stretch of outer continental shelf off Western Australia, where it is threatened by trawling activity.
The puzzling grouper (Hyporthodus perplexus) is known only from a single specimen collected in 1909 off the coast of southern Queensland, Australia.
The Loyalty sea bass (Luzonichthys williamsi) is known only from five specimens collected from the Loyalty Islands, west of New Caledonia.
The oblong large-eye bream (Gymnocranius oblongus) is known only from six specimens discovered in a fish market in New Caledonia.
The New Caledonian seabream (Acanthopagrus akazakii) is known only from specimens collected off Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
Fourmanoir’s sea bream (Dentex fourmanoiri) is known only from a few specimens collected from the waters surrounding Grande Terre and the Chesterfield Islands, New Caledonia.
The smooth croaker (Johnius laevis) is confined to the coastal waters of northern Australia and southern New Guinea, where it is frequently taken as prawn fishery by-catch.
The Papuan snapper (Lutjanus papuensis) is known patchily from shallow reefs off Timor, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
Kailola’s snapper (Paracaesio paragrapsimodon) is known only from two specimens collected off Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands and from south-eastern New Guinea.
The Mindanao lefteye flounder (Laeops cypho) is known only from a single locality near Point Tagolo, Mindanao.
The brown lefteye flounder (Arnoglossus brunneus) is known for certain only from deep waters surrounding the Philippines.
The Vanuatu lefteye flounder (Engyprosopon vanuatuensis) is known only from a small number of specimens collected off Vanuatu.
The New Caledonia reef sole (Aseraggodes magnoculus) is known only from three specimens collected from two localities off the south-western coast of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
McGrouther’s flathead (Rogadius mcgroutheri) is known only from four specimens collected from the waters off northeastern Australia and New Caledonia.
The Vanuatu goatfish (Upeneus vanuatu) is known only from a few specimens collected in the deep waters around Espiritu Santo and Malo islands in Vanuatu.
The short-jaw soldierfish (Ostichthys brachygnathus) is known only from a few specimens collected in deep waters off Guam and Saipan in the Mariana Islands.
Pyle’s lizardfish (Synodus pylei) is known only from two specimens collected in deep waters around the Fiji Islands.
The New Caledonia basslet (Pseudanthias xanthomaculatus) is known only from a single specimen collected off Grande Terre, New Caledonia in the 1970s.
The Kapingamarangi surgeonfish (Acanthurus chronixis) is known only from a few specimens collected from Kapingamarangi Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
The Hainan pufferfish (Takifugu plagiocellatus) is known only from four specimens collected from a single shallow-water locality off south-eastern Hainan.
The Fijian perchlet (Plectranthias fijiensis) is known only from a single specimen collected during the 1980s from deep waters off Fiji.
The blue-spotted angelfish (Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus) is known only from a single specimen caught in a reef off Cebu, Philippines in 1972.
The yellowtail sawtail (Prionurus chrysurus) is known only from a few specimens collected from the waters of the Lesser Sunda Islands.
The yellowtail parrotfish (Scarus obishime) is confined to rocky and coral-encrusted slopes in the Bonin Islands.
Moffitt’s goatfish (Parupeneus moffitti) is known only from the Mariana Islands.
Paxton’s cardinalfish (Paxton concilians) is known only from four specimens collected from the waters surrounding the Montebello Islands in north-western coastal Australia.
Myers’ dottyback (Lubbockichthys myersi) is known only from a single museum specimen collected in the waters off Guam, along with a few observations.
The thread-finned dottyback (Manonichthys polynemus) is an uncommon species found in north-eastern Indonesia, Palau and possibly the southern Philippines. It is threatened by coral loss.
The Mbéré Reef dottyback (Pseudochromis kolythrus) is known only from a single specimen collected from a cave within Mbéré Reef off Grande Terre, New Caledonia. The jaguar dottyback (P. moorei) is known only from a small number of specimens collected from the waters of the southeastern Philippines. Pyle’s dottyback (P. pylei) is known only from a small number of specimens collected over a relatively wide area of eastern Indonesia, Palau, and the Bismarck Archipelago.
The blackish stumpnose (Rhabdosargus niger) is known only from a few frozen specimens obtained from a fish market in Busan, South Korea, said to have originated from somewhere off the south-western coast of Borneo.
The crenulated silverside (Hypoatherina crenolepis) is known only from its original collection in 1908 from the Mindoro Strait and the southern Sulu Sea.
The lined silverside (Atherinomorus lineatus) is a poorly known shallow-water species said to be from Indonesia and the Philippines, but only known with certainty by its original collection off Cebu during the late nineteenth century.
Fowler’s searobin (Peristedion amblygenys) is known only from a single specimen collected off western Luzon during the 1930s.
The silver-banded sillago (Sillago argentifasciata) is a smelt-like species confined to the Balabac Strait off the southern tip of Palawan in the Philippines, where it is likely threatened by fisheries activity.
The flat catfish (Cochlefelis insidiator) is known only from four specimens collected in the Fly River delta of Papua New Guinea and from coastal northern Australia, west of Darwin.
The Alice Channel rattail (Coelorinchus notatus) is known only from a single specimen collected in 1908 from deep waters of the Alice Channel, which connects the Sulu Sea with the Sulawesi Sea. The false duckbill rattail (C. shcherbachevi) is known only from the Loyalty Ridge, south of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
The Philippine rattail (Gadomus magnifilis) is a deep-sea species known only from a few specimens collected during the early twentieth century from three localities in the Philippines.
The dubious grenadier (Coryphaenoides dubius) is known only from a single specimen collected in 1909 in Iligan Bay, Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
The Luzon grenadier (Malacocephalus luzonensis) is known only from a single locality in the Philippines, where it is potentially threatened by deep-sea shrimp trawling.
The metallic roughy (Hoplostethus metallicus) is a deep-sea species known only from a small number of specimens collected throughout the central Philippines.
The Javan razorfish (Iniistius javanicus) is only known from a few specimens collected off Java. Subsequent records from the Red Sea are misidentifications.
The blue-spotted leatherjacket (Eubalichthys caeruleoguttatus) is a type of filefish known only from a few specimens collected in the coastal waters of north-western Australia.
Matsura’s filefish (Paramonacanthus matsuurai) is known only from two specimens washed up on Chichi Jima, in the Bonin Islands.
The doubleheader (Coris bulbifrons) is a type of wrasse known only from the area of several small, isolated islands and reefs in the northern Tasman Sea, including Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and Elizabeth and Middleton reefs. A single specimen has also been recorded off Byron Bay, New South Wales.
The pygmy possum wrasse (Wetmorella tanakai) is known only from three specimens collected over a wide area of Indonesia and the Philippines.
The red-headed wrasse (Halichoeres rubricephalus) is an uncommon species from south-eastern Indonesia that is potentially threatened by collection for the international aquarium trade.
The mutant wrasse (Conniella apterygia) is known only from Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef off the north-western coast of Australia, where it is threatened by habitat degradation due to oil and gas extraction.
The dusky fairy-wrasse (Cirrhilabrus brunneus) is known only from a few specimens collected off Borneo, Sulawesi, and Cebu in the Philippines.
The bumblebee fish (Brachygobius xanthozonus) is known only from a few specimens collected in coastal Borneo and Java.
The vanishing silhouette goby (Silhouettea evanida) is a subtidal species known only from a few disjunct localities in coastal northern Australia.
The Cebu goby (Sicyopus cebuensis) is a freshwater and marine species known only from a few specimens collected from the Philippines, Taiwan, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and southern Japan.
The clinging goby (Sicyopterus micrurus) is a freshwater and marine species known only from a single specimen collected during the mid-nineteenth century from Ambon, in the Moloccas.
The dwarf pygmy goby (Pandaka pygmaea) was long known only from a single locality in the Philippines and thought to be near extinction. However, it has since been found in a number of areas throughout the Central Indo-Pacific.
The Cerberus wriggler goby (Paraxenisthmus cerberusi) is known only from seven specimens collected from Pulau and another from Fiji.
The Solomons freshwater goby (Lentipes solomonensis) is an amphidromous species known only from a handful of specimens collected from three streams on three different islands within the Solomons (Ranogga, Rendova, and Makira). The Sunda freshwater goby (L. whittenorum) is known only from Bali and Lombok.
Chapman’s sleeper goby (Xenisthmus chapmani) is known only from a single specimen collected from Espiritu Santo harbour, Vanuatu during the 1960s.
The minute clingfish (Liobranchia stria) is known only from specimens collected off Guam and Saipan.
The Fijian clingfish (Discotrema zonatum) is known only from a single specimen collected near Charybdis Reef on the northern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji.
The shortfin mini dartfish (Aioliops brachypterus) is known only from coral reefs off Miniloc and El Nido in the western Philippines.
The vertical dartfish (Parioglossus verticalis) is known only from a single specimen collected from shallow waters off Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. The Rapa Iti dartfish (P. galzini) is known only from a single specimen collected from shallow waters off Rapa Iti in French Polynesia. The New Caledonian dartfish (P. neocaledonicus) is known only from shallow waters off Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
The lightning man triplefin blenny (Enneapterygius namarrgon) is known only from a small area of coastal northern Australia (Northern Territory), where it is threatened by bauxite mining.
The Solor triplefin blenny (Helcogramma solorensis) is known only from three specimens collected on Solor Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands.
The Ninigo combtooth blenny (Rhabdoblennius papuensis) is confined to shallow seaward reef flats in the Ninigo Islands, off northern Papua New Guinea.
Randall’s combtooth blenny (Ecsenius randalli) is known only from two subtidal localities on Halmahara in the Moluccas. The tricolour combtooth blenny (E. tricolor) is known for certain only from a few subtidal localities in the south-western Philippines.
The Christmas Island combtooth blenny (Praealticus natalis) is confined to the rocky shores of Christmas Island, south-west of Java.
The Atjatuning combtooth blenny (Andamia cyclocheilus) is known only from a single specimen collected from the coast of western New Guinea.
Erdmann’s fangblenny (Meiacanthus erdmanni) is known only from a single specimen collected near Tridacna Atoll within Cenderawasih Bay, western New Guinea. Smith-Vaniz’s fangblenny (M. limbatus) is known from a single specimen collected from Manus Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, as well as from Helen Atoll in the Palau Islands (where it appears to be common). The reticulated fangblenny (M. reticulatus) is known only from Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea and from Egum Atoll in the Solomon Sea. The Lesser Sunda fangblenny (M. abruptus) is known only from two specimens collected from Komodo Island, along with photographs of others taken from Bali. The birthmark fangblenny (M. naevius) is known only from Rowley Shoals off the northwestern coast of Australia. While protected within a designated marine park, it is nevertheless potentially threatened by oil and gas exploration.
The Pilbara eel blenny (Congrogadus winterbottomi) is known only from Middle Mangrove Island and Exmouth Gulf, off Western Australia.
The Cuyo coral brotula (Paradiancistrus cuyoensis) is known only from two reefs in the Sulu and Bohol seas.
Four Central Indo-Pacific seahorses (Hippocampus) are highly threatened by loss of habitat due to coastal development, pollution, and collection for use in ‘traditional medicine’. White’s seahorse (H. whitei) inhabits estuaries and seagrass meadows along the north-eastern coast of Australia, where it is rare outside of marine reserves. Satomi’s pygmy seahorse (H. satomiae) is known only from scattered localities off northeastern Borneo and northern Sulawesi. Barbour’s seahorse (H. barbouri) is found sporadically in shallow seagrass beds in the Philippines, north-eastern Borneo, Sulawesi, Java, and the Lesser Sunda Islands. The zebra seahorse (H. zebra) is confined to northern Australia.
The Muiron Islands pipefish (Choeroichthys latispinosus) is known only from three localities along the western coast of Australia.
The reef-flat pipefish (Nannocampus weberi) is known only from a few specimens collected off Bali and Sumba in the Lesser Sunda Islands.
The glowtail pipefish (Dunckerocampus chapmani) is known only from shallow lagoons in a small area of southwestern Grande Terre, New Caledonia. It is threatened by coral loss and mining pollution.
The short-bodied pipefish (Micrognathus brevicorpus) is known only from coral reefs surrounding Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
Dawson’s pipefish (Festucalex prolixus) is known only from six specimens collected in 1929 from two disjunct localities (southern Philippines and off the coast of north-western New Guinea).
Larson’s pipehorse (Acentronura larsonae) is known only from specimens collected off Alpha Island, in the Montebello Islands off north-western Australia.
Duncker’s pipehorse (Solegnathus dunckeri) is confined to the waters of Lord Howe Island and the eastern coast of Australia (Queensland and New South Wales). Hardwicke’s pipehorse (S. hardwickii) is widespread along the continental and insular shelves of Japan, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines as well as along the northern and eastern coasts of Australia. Both are threatened by fisheries by-catch and collection for use in ‘traditional medicine’.
Whitehead’s deepwater dragonet (Callionymus whiteheadi) is known only from three specimens collected off Java, Bali, and the Kangean Islands. The whitegill dragonet (C. leucobranchialis) is known only from one locality in the Philippines and two others off northern Australia.
The Indonesian longfinned eel (Anguilla borneensis) is a freshwater and marine species found almost exclusively on Borneo, with occasional reports from Sulawesi, the surrounding Celebes, Sulu, and Molocca seas, the Makassar Strait, and Mindanao. It is threatened mainly by loss of its freshwater habitats and man-made barriers to migration.
Taylor’s garden eel (Heteroconger taylori) appears to be fairly widespread in the Central Indo-Pacific but may be threatened, at least in some areas, by the loss of its sea meadow habitat.
Strahan’s hagfish (Eptatretus strahani) is an eel-like species known only from seven specimens collected in the northern Philippines and along the western coast of Australia.
The Norfolk Ridge
The Norfolk Ridge is a long, mostly submarine ridge running between New Caledonia and New Zealand, about 1300 km off the eastern coast of Australia. It is part of Zealandia, a continent that submerged between 85 and 60 million years ago. Norfolk Island is the highest point.
The bighead spurdog (Squalus bucephalus) is a small dogfish known only from a few specimens collected around seamounts of the Norfolk Ridge off Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
The sapphire skate (Notoraja sapphira) is known only from the Norfolk Ridge.
Cohen’s pufferfish (Pelagocephalus coheni) is known only from two specimens collected from the waters around Norfolk Island.
The Norfolk combtooth blenny (Parablennius serratolineatus) is known only from the shallow waters around Norfolk Island.
Springer’s shore-eel (Alabes springeri) is known only from the shallow waters around Norfolk Island.
The Wanganella Bank
The Wanganella Bank, part of the Norfolk Ridge, is located north-west of North Island.
The enigma skate (Brochiraja aenigma) is known only from a single specimen collected from the Wanganella Bank.
The Saumarez Plateau
The Saumarez Plateau is located off north-eastern Australia (Queensland).
The short-tail catshark (Parmaturus bigus) is known only from a single specimen collected from near the Saumarez Plateau.
The Queensland deepwater skate (Dipturus queenslandicus) is known only from the Saumarez Plateau.
The South China Sea
The South China Sea is located south of China, east of Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, west of the Philippines, and north of Borneo.
Smith’s small-headed sea snake (Hydrophis parviceps) was long known only from two specimens collected within a small area of the southern Vietnamese coast in 1935 and 1960. Three more were found in 2001.
The lost shark (Carcharhinus obsoletus) is (or was) a small, shallow, inshore species known only from three specimens obtained from fish landing sites and markets, believed to have originated from the southern South China Sea. Last recorded in 1934, it was possibly driven to extinction by overfishing.
The Sarawak pygmy swellshark (Cephaloscyllium sarawakensis) is known only from a few specimens collected by trawl nets north of Borneo, along with an additional record off Hainan.
The barbelthroat carpetshark (Cirrhoscyllium expolitum) is known only from two specimens collected from the northern South China Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin.
The South China Sea cookie-cutter shark (Isistius labialis) is known only from a single specimen collected off the southern coast of China.
The combtooth lanternshark (Etmopterus decacuspidatus) is known only from a single specimen collected during the 1960s from deep waters south of Hainan.
The spotless catshark (Bythaelurus immaculatus) is known only from deep waters east of Hainan.
The smalldorsal catshark (Apristurus micropterygeus) and the South China catshark (A. sinensis) are each known only from a single specimen collected in the South China Sea.
The Chinese longnose dogfish (Squalus acutirostris) is known only from the South China Sea.
The Taiwanese blind electric ray (Benthobatis yangi) is known only from a small area off the south-western coast of Taiwan.
Meng’s skate (Okamejei mengae) is known only from a single specimen collected off the southern coast of China (Guangdong).
The narrow legskate (Sinobatis stenosoma) is known only from a single specimen collected from deep waters off the southern coast of China.
The black-spot croaker (Atrobucca kyushini) is known only from the north-western coast of Borneo.
The eyebrow scorpionfish (Sebastapistes taeniophrys) is only known from two specimens collected in Cammahala Bay, Luzon, in 1909.
The Hainan lefteye flounder (Psettina hainanensis) is known for certain only from a single specimen collected off Hainan in the 1930s.
Shen’s righteye flounder (Samariscus filipectoralis) is known only from the South China Sea, where it may be threatened from overfishing and trawling by-catch.
The South China deep-sea hatchet-fish (Araiophos eastropas) is known only from the South China Sea.
The Deep Bay combtooth blenny (Omobranchus aurosplendidus) is known only from a single oyster bed on the southern coast of China between Hong Kong and Macau, where it is threatened by pollution.
The Taiwanese hagfish (Eptatretus chinensis) is an eel-like species confined to the South China Sea, where it is directly harvested for food.
The Macclesfield Bank
The Macclesfield Bank is an elongated sunken atoll of underwater reefs and shoals located in the central South China Sea.
The Macclesfield dragonet (Callionymus macclesfieldensis) is confined to the deeper waters of the Macclesfield Bank.
The Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand is the western part of the South China Sea. It is bordered by Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Gulf of Thailand shrimp-goby (Cryptocentrus leonis) is confined to marine and brackish waters along the Gulf of Thailand.
The Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is located off the north-western coast of Luzon.
The Lingayen Gulf zebra sole (Zebrias lucapensis) is a shallow-water species known only from the Hundred Islands, in the Lingayen Gulf.
The Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait (also known as the Formosa Strait) separates the Island of Taiwan from mainland China.
The sharp-fanged snake-eel (Brachysomophis longipinnis) is known only from a single specimen collected in the Taiwan Strait.
The Verde Island Passage
The Verde Island Passage is a small strait located between the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines. It connects the South China and Sibuyan seas.
The largescale rattail (Coelorinchus macrolepis) and the Verde Island Passage rattail (C. velifer) are both known only from specimens collected in the early twentieth century from deep waters in the Verde Island Passage.
The Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is located east and north-east of the Philippines in the western North Pacific Ocean. It is enclosed by a number of island arcs (actually, extended ridges protruding above the ocean surface) to the north, east, and south. It is notable for the presence of deep-sea trenches. Among the latter is the Philippine Trench, at 10,540 m the third greatest depth in all the oceans behind only the Mariana Trench and the Tonga Trench.
Fowler’s sea robin (Lepidotrigla venusta) is a type of bottom-feeding fish known only from the waters off the eastern coast of Luzon.
The Philippine Sea pygmy goby (Trimma caudipunctatum) is known only from two specimens collected from the Ryukyu Islands and Palau along with a small number of observations.
The Luzon rattail (Coelorinchus dorsalis) and Weber’s rattail (C. weberi) are both known only from their original collection during the early twentieth century off the northern coast of Luzon.
The Kyushu–Palau Ridge
The Kyushu–Palau Ridge is an extinct volcanic line on the seafloor that runs from the Japanese island of Kyushu southeast to Palau.
The rasptooth dogfish (Miroscyllium sheikoi) is known only from a few specimens collected from the Kyushu–Palau Ridge.
The seamount grouper (Epinephelus suborbitalis) is known only from a single specimen collected from the Minami-Koho Seamount on the Kyushu–Palau Ridge.
The Kyushu–Palau Ridge hogfish (Bodianus thoracotaeniatus) is known only from a few specimens collected from the Kyushu–Palau Ridge, east of Okinawa.
The Palau reef sole (Aseraggodes firmisquamis) is known only from a single specimen collected off Palau.
The Visayan Sea
The Visayan Sea is surrounded by the Visayan Islands of the central Philippines.
The flathead dragonet (Callionymus platycephalus) is a rare, bottom-dwelling species known only from its type locality in the Visayan Sea.
The Samar Sea
The Samar Sea is a small sea located in the central Philippines between Samar to the east, Leyte to the south, Masbate to the west, and Luzon to the north.
The Samar Sea ponyfish (Equulites laterofenestra) is known only from shallow tidal waters and estuaries near Leyte.
The Bohol Sea
The Bohol Sea (also known as the Mindanao Sea) is located in the southern Philippines between Bohol and Leyte to the north and Mindanao to the south.
The onefin catshark (Pentanchus profundicolus) is a small, deep-sea species known only from two specimens taken from the Bohol Sea and the Tablas Strait.
The Dumaguete goby (Silhouettea nuchipunctatus) is known only from a single tide pool on the island of Negros in the Philippines.
The Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea (Dagat Sulu in Filipino) is located in the southwestern Philippines between Palawan to the north-west, the Visayas to the north-east, the Sulu Archipelago to the southeast, and Borneo to the south-west. It includes the biologically important Tubbataha Reefs located west of Palawan, which are protected within Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Cagayan grenadier (Bathygadus sulcatus) is a large deep-sea fish known only from deep waters off Cagayan Island.
The Palawan grenadier (Coryphaenoides camurus) is known only from a few specimens collected in 1909 from deep waters off Palawan, in the western Sulu Sea.
Two deep-sea fishes, the six-rayed rattail (Coelorinchus sexradiatus) and the three-spot rattail (C. triocellatus), are each known only from their original collection during the early twentieth century from the waters of the Sulu Archipelago south-west of Mindanao.
The Sulu Sea fangblenny (Plagiotremus iosodon) is known for certain only from a single locality in the southern Sulu Sea (Tutu Bay on Jolo Island).
Kurt’s combtooth blenny (Ecsenius kurti) is known only from two localities in the northern Sulu Sea.
The Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea (Laut Sulawesi in Indonesian/Dagat Selebes in Filipino) is located between the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao to the north, the Sangir Islands to the east, Sulawesi to the south, and Borneo to the west.
The Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis) is known only from three localities off the northern coast of Sulawesi. The first two specimens collected were caught in 1997 and 1998, and the species has been seen only rarely since then. It appears to be a naturally rare, deep-water form.
The Molucca Sea
The Molucca Sea (Laut Maluku in Indonesian) is located between Sulawesi to the west, Halmahera to the east, and the Sula Islands to the south.
The Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is confined to reefs of the Banggai Islands. A notably attractive species, it is threatened mainly by overcollection for the international aquarium trade.
The Java Sea
The Java Sea (Laut Jawa in Indonesian) is an extensive shallow sea located on the Sunda Shelf between Borneo on the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east.
The whip-fin fairy-wrasse (Cirrhilabrus filamentosus) is a reef-dweller known only from the Java Sea, where it is threatened by collection for the international aquarium trade and by cyanide fishing.
The Bali Sea
The Bali Sea (Laut Bali in Indonesian) is located north of Bali and south of the Kangean Islands.
The Siboga pygmy skate (Fenestraja sibogae) is a deepwater species known only from a few specimens.
The Flores Sea
The Flores Sea is located south of Sulawesi and north of Flores and Sumbawa in the Lesser Sunda Islands.
The bigeye callibus (Cabillus macrophthalmus) is a type of marine goby known only from a few specimens collected in the Flores Sea.
The dappled reef goby (Priolepis sticta) is known from a small number of specimens taken from a single locality off Flores, Indonesia.
The few-rayed pipefish (Bhanotia pauciradiata) is a poorly known coastal pipefish known only from a single specimen collected from a rocky coral reef slope at Maumere, Flores, in 1995.
The Timor Sea
The Timor Sea (Laut Timor in Indonesian) is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean. It is bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, and to the south by northern Australia. It contains a number of important reefs.
The network wobbegong (Orectolobus reticulatus) is a type of carpet shark known only from a few specimens collected from the continental shelf of north-western Australia.
The spotted shovelnose ray (Aptychotrema timorensis) is known only from a few specimens collected in a small area off northern Australia.
The Darwin grouper (Hyporthodus darwinensis) is known only from a single specimen collected in 1988 north-west of Bathurst Island, northern Australia (Northern Territory).
Dillon Shoals
Dillon Shoals is located off south-eastern Timor.
The plumb grouper (Epinephelus trophis) is known only from two specimens collected in 1974 from Dillon Shoals.
Ashmore Reef
Ashmore Reef (also known as Ashmore Terrace) is located south-east of Timor. It is protected within the Australian administered Ashmore Reef Marine Park.
The sombre catshark (Bythaelurus incanus) is known only from a single specimen collected from deep waters off Ashmore Reef.
The Banda Sea
The Banda Sea is located in the Molucca Islands of Indonesia.
The Ambon seabass (Dactylanthias aplodactylus) is a small, deep-water reef species known only from a single specimen collected near Ambon Island in the mid-nineteenth century.
The Arafura Sea
The Arafura Sea is located on the continental shelf between northern Australia and New Guinea. It is relatively shallow (50–80 m), with the depth increasing to the west.
Cook’s swellshark (Cephaloscyllium cooki) is restricted to a small area of the Arafura Sea, where it is known only from a few specimens.
The velvet catshark (Parmaturus lanatus) is known only from a single specimen collected off the Tanimbar Islands.
The Bismarck Sea
The Bismarck Sea is located in the south-western Pacific Ocean, north-east of the island of New Guinea and south of the Bismarck Archipelago and Admiralty Islands.
The sailback houndshark (Gogolia filewoodi) is a distinctive-looking species known only from a single pregnant female taken by hand line in deep water off a river mouth in Papua New Guinea.
The Astrolabe hagfish (Eptatretus astrolabium) is an eellike species known only from a single specimen collected in Astrolabe Bay, New Guinea.
The Solomon Sea
The Solomon Sea is located between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Vanderloo’s velvet angelfish (Chaetodontoplus vanderloosi) has the smallest range of any known Indo-Pacific coral reef fish, being found only between Samarai Island and the south-eastern corner of Basilaki Island in Milne Bay, New Guinea.
Springer’s wriggler (Paraxenisthmus springeri) is known only from a single locality off Florida Island in the Solomon Islands.
The Coral Sea
The Coral Sea (Mer de Corail in French) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific located off the north-eastern coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the eastern coast of Queensland, in the east by Vanuatu and New Caledonia, and in the north-east by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands. In the north-west it extends to the southern coast of eastern New Guinea (including the Gulf of Papua). It merges with the Tasman Sea to the south, with the Solomon Sea in the north, and with the Pacific Ocean in the east.
Colclough’s shark (Brachaelurus colcloughi) is endemic to a small area of eastern Australian coastal waters from Byron Bay, New South Wales to the Hardline Reefs in Queensland. Most records come from Moreton Bay in southern Queensland.
The Papuan carpet shark (Hemiscyllium hallstromi) is confined to shallow waters along the south-eastern coast of New Guinea from the Gulf of Papua to Milne Bay.
The eastern spotted gummy shark (Mustelus walkeri) is known from a few localities off the north-eastern coast of Australia (Queensland).
The darksnout houndshark (Hemitriakis abdita) is known from a few specimens collected in the Coral Sea off northeastern Australia (Queensland), and possibly New Caledonia as well.
The narrowbar swellshark (Cephaloscyllium zebrum) is known only from two specimens collected in deep waters near Flinders Reef off north-eastern Australia (Queensland).
The lined lanternshark (Etmopterus dislineatus) is a small, deep-water species confined to the central part of the Coral Sea, and known only from a few specimens.
The pale skate (Notoraja ochroderma) is known only from a very small area off Cairns in north-eastern Australia (Queensland), where it likely occurs on seamounts.
The eastern looseskin skate (Insentiraja laxipella) is known only from a very small area off Cairns in north-eastern Australia (Queensland), where it likely occurs on seamounts.
The eastern legskate (Sinobatis filicauda) is known only from a few specimens collected from two small areas off northeastern Australia (the Queensland Plateau and part of the Saumarez Plateau).
The longsnout no-line scorpionfish (Phenacoscorpius longirostris) is known only from two specimens collected from the Norfolk Island Ridge and the Lord Howe Rise.
Hick’s toadfish (Torquigener hicksi) is known only from a single specimen collected off Morton Bay, Queensland.
Ramsa’s reef sole (Aseraggodes ramsaii) is known only from a few specimens collected off Lord Howe Island and southern New Caledonia.
The tiger combtooth blenny (Ecsenius tigris) is known only from three small reef systems in the western Coral Sea (Osprey, Bougainville, and Holmes reefs).
The Coral Sea fangblenny (Meiacanthus phaeus) is known
from New Caledonia as well as from the Chesterfield Bank and Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs.
The Chesterfield Bank
The Chesterfield Bank is in fact an archipelago located 550 km north-west of Grande Terre, New Caledonia. It is 120 km long and 70 km across, and is made up of 11 uninhabited islets and many reefs.
Laboute’s sea snake (Hydrophis laboutei) is known only from a few specimens collected from the Chesterfield Reefs.
Moutham’s goatfish (Upeneus mouthami) is known only from a few specimens collected from the Chesterfield Bank.
The Chesterfield lefteye flounder (Arnoglossus nigrifrons) is known for certain only from two specimens collected from the Chesterfield Bank.
The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef straddles the north-eastern coast of Australia, extending over 2300 km from the low-latitude tropics to temperate zones. The world’s largest coral reef system and one of wonders of the nature, it is comprised of over 2900 individual reefs along with some 900 islands, providing a diverse range of habitat of enormous ecological and scientific importance. Sadly, in recent years annual bleaching events caused by global climate change have left large areas of it effectively dead.
The beautiful-cheek shrimp-goby (Amblyeleotris callopareia) is known only from the proximity of Lizard Island, Queensland, within the Great Barrier Reef.
Franz’s cusk-eel (Neobythites franzi) is known only from a few specimens collected in deep waters off Dunk Island, Queensland, within the Great Barrier Reef.
The New Caledonia Barrier Reef
The New Caledonia Barrier Reef surrounds Grande Terre, New Caledonia’s largest island, as well as the Iles des Pins and several smaller islets. It is the longest continuous barrier reef in the world, and the third largest after the Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Barrier Reef.
The New Caledonian catshark (Aulohalaelurus kanakorum) is known only from a single specimen and two photographs, taken from a south-western New Caledonian lagoon.
The New Caledonian soft-coral pipefish (Siokunichthys striatus) is known only from a single specimen collected off the southern coast of Grande Terre.
The Holmes Reefs
The Holmes Reefs are a pair of submerged atolls located west of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Holmes Reefs wrasse (Pseudocoris aequalis) is known only from Holmes Reefs.
Shark Bay
Shark Bay is located approximately 800 km north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australian continent. It is notable for having one of the largest seagrass meadows in the world, with its resident population of dugongs (Dugong dugon), and provides a refuge as well for a number of other, globally threatened marine species. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
Payne’s tuskfish (Choerodon paynei) is known only from a single specimen collected from a coral reef off Dirk Hartog Island, Western Australia.
Anthropogenic effects on the fauna
Within the Central Indo-Pacific Region at least 3 species of marine fishes are possibly extinct. In addition, there are 234 species currently threatened with extinction (that is to say, either Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List, as well as certain forms either listed as Data Deficient or Not Assessed but which are clearly at some risk of extinction). Of these, 1 species is a mammal, 12 species are reptiles, and 221 species are marine fishes.