FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 72, NO. 4 



Figure 4. — Boulder habitat. Fishes shown include: Aphareus furcatus, Monotaxis grandoculis (showing barred color 



pattern), Acanthurus leucopareius, and Zebrasoma flavescens. 



Table 2. — The 10 fish species most frequently seen along trans- 

 ect lines in the coral-rich habitat at night. 



general appearance is one of bare rocks (Figure 4). 

 Especially in the shallower regions, but decreas- 

 ing with greater depths, this habitat is regularly 

 swept by a strong surge. At depths varying with 

 the relative proximity of a lee shore or protecting 

 reef, but usually at about 12 to 17 m, the boulder 

 habitat in many locations grades into the fields of 

 fingerlike Pontes compressus, one of the coral-rich 

 habitats described above. Fishes listed in Table 3 '* 

 are characteristic of those seen in the boulder 

 habitat during the day. 



Shallow Reef-Flat Habitat 



Shallow surge-swept reefs, the remains of an- 

 cient lava flows, extend offshore in several loca- 

 tions (Figure 5). Here, a solid pavement of exposed 

 basalt, containing many cracks and crevices, sup- 

 ports a distinctive array of marine organisms. The 

 predominant benthic life form is the coral 



''Table 3 is based on data from four transects at four boulder 

 sites — one at Cook Point, one at Mokuakae Bay, and two at 

 Alahaka Bay (see Figure 1). Total number ofspecies observed on 

 these four transects: 77; mean number of individuals of all 

 species for a single transect: 672. 



920 



