An updated checklist of fishes of Dongsha Island, Taiwan, northern South China Sea

By

Ng, Shing-Lai
Liu, Hsin-Wei
Mediodia, Dominique
Yen-Ting, Lin
Lee, Chieh-Hsuan
Lin, Ching-Feng
Huang, Shih-Pin
Wu, Siao-Man
Tung, Chih-Ren
Ho, Hsuan-Ching
Lin, Chien-Hsiang

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1220

Pages

175--242

Subjects

Biodiversity , ichthyofauna , Ichthyology , Pratas Island , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1220.131100

 

Abstract

Dongsha Island, situated in the northern part of the South China Sea, is surrounded by coral reefs and deep-sea habitats. The coastal areas of the atoll, a marine protected area, serve as important nursery habitats for many reef fish species. At the same time, the offshore deep-sea continental slopes are historically important fishing grounds. Although previous inventories primarily focused on coral reef fishes within the atoll listing 652 species from 73 families, comprehensive surveys of fishes from deeper waters have been incomplete. In this study, the species composition of the fish fauna around Dongsha was updated by analyzing large volumes of frozen bycatch from commercial deep-sea trawlers operating in the area for the past four years and reviewing the existing literature. The species list increased to 1087 species belonging to 167 families, including several documented as new records and potentially undescribed species. This updated checklist also includes images of each species and most of their sagittal otoliths. This will assist further taxonomic work and significantly enhance understanding of marine biodiversity in the South China Sea.