Reconnaissance by Submarine — Brock and Chamberlain 
391 
TABLE 2 
A List of Species of Fish Observed from the "Asherah” 
SPECIES 
ABUNDANCE 
REMARKS 
Dasyatis hawaiiensis 
sighted occasionally 
Over or on sand bottom. 
Aetobatus narinari 
sighted occasionally 
Over or on sand bottom. 
Gymnothorax fiavimarginatus 
not common 
Living in holes. Other species probably present but 
not identified. 
Holocentrus spp. 
common 
Living in or adjacent to cavities in rock. H. scythrops 
may be an abundant species. 
Myripristis spp. 
common 
Habits similar to Holocentrus. 
Caesioperca thompsoni 
common 
More abundant on nearshore escarpment face in small 
loose schools. 
Apogon or Holocentrus spp. 
dominant 
Large schools of small reddish fishes (4-5 cm). Very 
abundant near bottom. 
Seriola dumerilii 
abundant 
In medium-sized schools, usually in motion. 
Carangids 
common 
Both scattered fish and small schools observed as deep 
as 180 meters. More than a single species involved. 
Not obviously part of the escarpment community. 
Etelis carbunculus 
abundant 
In small scattered schools of 10-30 fishes frequently 
over deep water beyond top of outer escarpment. 
Mulloidichthys pflugeri 
not common 
Parupeneus bifasciatus 
common 
Seen more frequently about inner escarpments. Not 
obviously a part of the escarpment community. 
Holocanthus arcuatus 
common 
Scattered over rocks near bottom. 
Heniochus acuminatus 
common 
Usually seen individually or in small groups somewhat 
further from bottom than Holocanthus arcuatus. 
Chaetodon tinkeri 
rare 
A rare deepwater Hawaiian endemic butterfly fish 
known heretofore only from single type. 
Chaetodon miliaris 
dominant 
An indicator species for the escarpment community. 
Chromis verater 
abundant to dominant 
Most abundant about nearshore escarpments. Near 
rocks, not high in water column. 
Naso hexacanthus 
dominant 
In large- to medium-sized schools frequently well off 
bottom. 
Euthynnus yaito 
sighted occasionally 
Few large schools observed feeding over submerged 
beach terrace. Not part of escarpment community. 
Canthigaster cinctus 
rare 
Few sighted near bottom. 
water and apparently find both shelter and food 
in a rocky environment. Chaetodon miliaris is 
such a species in nearshore areas. It is possible 
that Chaetodon miliaris occurs in major aggrega- 
tions well off the bottom in the deepwater en- 
vironment as a response to a plankton feeding 
regime. Isaacs and Schwartzlose (1965) sug- 
gested that vertically migrating zooplankton are 
swept over shoal areas such as banks during the 
night when they move upward in the water 
column, and then are trapped against the bottom 
on their downward migration with the approach 
of day. They may be thereby especially vulner- 
able to predation by fishes. A mechanism of this 
nature would not, however, explain the highly 
discontinuous distribution of fish laterally along 
the crest of the escarpments. It is also difficult 
to see what advantages would accrue through 
aggregating upwards of 40 meters above the 
bottom, in some instances over a rocky area not 
more than 5 meters above the average height of 
the escarpment crest. 
