More than 250 benthic fish taxa were photographed and videotaped by Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory submersibles at depths between 40 and 2000 m in the Hawaiian Archipelago, Johnston Atoll, and Cross Seamount. Most of the 213 identified fish species occurred close to hard substrates with holes, ledges, or caves. Twenty-two species (notably the larger sharks, lutjanids, and carangids) are cosmopolitan. Seventy-six species are restricted to various Indo-Pacific areas, 64 in the Pacific, and 51 in the Hawaiian Archipelago including Cross Seamount and Johnston Atoll. There is a rapid decrease in the number of species from 200 to 400 m depth. One hundred eight species were seen 20 m deeper than previously reported. Eleven of the deeper-dwelling animals were found 20 m shallower than previously recorded. Faunal zones were not recognized at any depth. Species newly recorded in Hawai'i include Bathypterois grallator (Goode & Bean), Bodianus cylindriatus (Tanaka), Centrophorus cf. granulosus (Bloch & Schneider), Chaunax fimbriatus Hilgendorf, Caelorinchus spilonotus Sazonov & Iwamoto, Notocanthus sp., Paratrachichthys prosthemius Jordan & Fowler, Prognathodes guezei (Mauge & Bauchot), and Sladenia remiger Smith & Radcliffe. New species collected and reported elsewhere are Centrodraco rubellus Fricke et aI., Epigonus glossodontus Gon, Owstonia sp., and Pseudanthiasfucinus (Randall & Ralston). Caelorinchus sp. 2 and Callanthias sp. are probably undescribed. It appears that the Hawaiian deep-sea fish fauna has multiple origins and affinities with many regions.

Depth range
40- 2000 m

Mesophotic “mentions”
0 x (total of 11801 words)

Classification
* Presents original data
* Focused on 'mesophotic' depth range
* Focused on 'mesophotic coral ecosystem'

Fields
Biodiversity
Community structure

Focusgroups
Fishes

Locations
USA - Hawaii
USA - Johnston Atoll

Platforms
Manned Submersible