The 1st Port Stephens’ Fish Census Results

Saturday 14th May 2016

The census involved taking photos of sharks, seahorses, pipefish, and tropical fish anywhere within the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park.

We had 18 people taking part, and a big thanks to the participants; Ashley Smith, Cath Shorthouse, Chris Latham, Dave Atkinson, Gina Mascord, Ian Marriner, Jacqueline Gillespie, Jacqui Ashby, Kate Tinson, Margo Smith, Meryl Larkin, Michael Mears, Nicola Davis, Peter Davey, Rob Wallis, Terry Roche, Tom Davis, and William Owyong

Divers found 38 species on the target list, including 11 Redmap species, and another 10 tropical species that weren’t targets. A huge thanks to people who also logged species with Redmap, with >30 Redmap sightings logged.

A huge thanks to Redmap for supplying a copy of the book “Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia” as a prize for logging Redmap species. The random winner of the prize was;

Will Owyong

Congratulations Will!

Below are photos of the species found on the day with Redmap species indicated with *

Angelfish – 2 species

Half-circled angelfish

(Pomacanthus semicirculatus)

*Keyhole Angelfish

(Centropyge tibicen)

Butterflyfish - 8 species

*Black-back butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus)

*Brown butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii)

Citron butterflyfish

(Chaetodon citrinellus)

Dusky butterflyfish

(Chaetodon flavirostris)

Gunther's butterflyfish (Chaetodon guentheri)

*Threadfin butterflyfish

(Chaetodon auriga)

Vagabond butterflyfish

(Chaetodon vagabundus)

Talma

(Chelmonops truncates)

Seahorses, Pipefish, Lionfish – 6 species

*Whites seahorse

(Hippocampus whitei)

Girdled Pipefish

(Festucalex cinctus)

Sawtooth pipefish

(Maroubra perserrata)

Tiger Pipefish

(Filicampus tigris)

Widebody pipefish

(Stigmatopora nigra)

Dwarf lionfish

(Dendrochirus brachypterus)

Sergeants – 4 species

Bengal Sergeant

(Abudefduf bengalensis)

Scissor-tail Sergeant

(Abudefduf sexfasciatus)

Sergeant major

(Abudefduf vaigiensis)

Whitley's sergeant

(Abudefduf whitleyi)

Sharks and Rays – 4 species

*Blue spotted stingray

(Dasyatis kuhlii)

Blind shark

(Brachaelurus waddi)

Spotted wobbegong

(Orectolobus maculatus)

Ornate wobbegong

(Orectolobus ornatus)

Surgeonfish – 8 species

Bluelined Surgeonfish (Acanthurus lineatus)

Brown surgeonfish

(Acanthurus nigrofuscus)

Convict Surgeonfish

(Acanthurus triostegus)

Orange-blotch Surgeonfish

(Acanthurus olivaceus)

Pale Surgeonfish

(Acanthurus mata)

Pencilled surgeonfish

(Acanthurus dussumieri)

Sawtail surgeonfish

(Prionurus microlepidotus)

Blue-spine Unicornfish

(Naso unicornis)

Cods – 2 species

Maori Rockcod

(Epinephelus undulatostriatus)

Wirrah

(Acanthistius ocellatus)

Other Redmap species* and tropical fish – 14 species

*Cut-ribbon wrasse

(Stethojulis interrupta)

*Green moon wrasse

(Thalassoma lutescens)

Orange Line Wrasse

(Halichoeres hartzfeldi)

Black leopard wrasse

(Macropharyngodon negrosensis)

*Round-spot goatfish

(Parupeneus pleurostigma)

Manybar goatfish

(Parupeneus multifasciatus)

*Black spot goatfish

(Parupeneus spilurus)

Stars & stripes toadfish

(Arothron hispidus)

Three-spot Dascyllus

(Dascyllus trimaculatus)

*Gold-belly Gregory

(Stegastes gascoynei)

Paradise whiptail

(Pentapodus paradiseus)

Yellow Tailed Filefish (Pervagor alternans)

Hawaiian Triggerfish

(Rhinecanthus rectangulus)

Half-moon Triggerfish

(Sufflamen chrysopterum)