31 New Records of Reef Fish Found in Hong Kong

Underwater visual surveys conducted across 55 dive sites in Hong Kong have revealed another 31 reef fish species from 14 families living there. The species include members from Acanthuridae, Chaetodontidae, Diodontidae, Gobiidae, Labridae, Mullidae, Nemipteridae, Pinguipedidae, Pomacanthidae, Pomacentridae, Ptereleotridae, Solenostomidae, Tetraodontidae and Tetrarogidae, with all being found outside marine protected areas, and artificial release being ruled out.

Hong Kong’s waters in the South China Sea vary in salinity, nutrients and temperature, due to the wet season and the Pearl River effluent, but those conditions combine to create a biodiversity hotspot, attracting both tropical and temperate fish species, saltwater, and brackish. There are corals there too, with Hong Kong recording 26% of the total marine species records in China, despite Hong Kong making up only about 0.03% of China’s total marine territory.

Newly recorded species in Hong Kong: (a) *Ptereleotris heteropteran*; (b) *Solenostomus paradoxus*; (c) *Arothron mappa*; (d) *Canthigaster valentine*; (e, f) *Ablabys taenianotus.* Photographs: 114°E Hong Kong Reef Fish Survey.

In a paper published in the JMBA, Chinese researchers estimate that there ould be some 500 reef fish species present in Hong Kong, but that they are threatened by habitat degradation, water pollution, as well as high fishing pressure in the area. Currently, there is a total of eight designated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) (seven marine parks and one marine reserve) distributed around Hong Kong waters, occupying around 6117 hectares and ~3.7% of the total territorial waters. This percentage, say the researchers, is far below the goal of having 10% of the coastal and marine areas protected by 2020, as previously agreed by parties of CBD.

Citation

To read the Open Access paper see Chung, A., See, G., Lam, S., Yiu, W., & Shea, S. (2023). Thirty-one new records of reef fish species for Hong Kong waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 103, E16. doi:10.1017/S0025315423000036

Newly recorded species in Hong Kong: (a–c) *Acanthurus xanthopterus*; (d, e) *Chaetodon adiergastos*; (f) *Chaetodon selene*; (g) *Heniochus singularius*; (h) *Diodon hystrix.* Photographs: 114°E Hong Kong Reef Fish Survey.

The 31 new fish species records are as follows:

Acanthurus xanthopterus
Chaetodon adiergastos
Chaetodon Selene
Heniochus singularius
Diodon hystrix
Amblyeleotris wheeleri
Amblygobius nocturnus
Cryptocentrus nigrocellatus
Eviota teresae
Gnatholepis cauerensis
Gobiodon axillaris
Gobiodon prolixus
Anampses geographicus
Bodianus dictynna
Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura
Halichoeres marginatus
Halichoeres melanochir
Thalassoma lutescens
Upeneus sp.
Scolopsis ciliata
Parapercis millepunctata
Parapercis tetracantha
Centropyge bicolor
Plectroglyphidodon leucozonus
Pomacentrus nagasakiensis
Pomacentrus tripunctatus
Ptereleotris heteroptera
Solenostomus paradoxus
Arothron mappa
Canthigaster valentini
Ablabys taenianotus

Jeremy Gay

Jeremy Gay is an author, editor, and lifelong fishkeeper, with over twenty years in the marine aquatic sector. His experience includes retail, wholesale, publishing, distribution, marketing, manufacturing, and livestock import. He loves the biology of marine ecosystems as well as marine equipment and tech.