Here is a small (but growing) overview of the reef fishes of Micronesia. According to www.fishbase.org (10/2019), a total of 1069 reef fish species from 88 families live in the waters of Micronesia.
Note that this list does not include pelagic and deep-sea species of the open ocean.
In total, Fishbase lists 1230 fish species for Micronesia, including 64 freshwater fish…
Most of these species have a wide distribution that extends throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, in many cases from the Red Sea to the central Pacific. However, there are also 6 endemic species found only in Micronesia.
The number of species in Micronesia decreases from west to east, corresponding to the increasing distance from the Coral Triangle, the most biodiverse area in the Indo-Pacific:
Yap > Chuuk > Pohnpei > Kosrae
Fish fauna Yap
Due to the large distances and strong ocean currents, more and more species are unable to extend their geographical range further east. Meyers, R.F. (1999) in his book “Micronesian Reef Fishes” gives an overview of 347 fish species for Yap and Ulithi.
According to Allen, G.R. (2007), the total known fish fauna of Yap State (Yap, Ngulu and Ulithi) is 787 species in 275 genera and 76 families. The most species-rich families in the Yap region are the gobies (Gobiidae) with 103 species, wrasses (Labridae) with 92, damselfishes (Pomacentridae) with 68, groupers (Serranidae) with 47, butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae) with 34 and surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae) with 34 species each.
Want to learn more?
From 27 October to 9 November 2019, Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers will once again host Marine Biology Weeks!
www.greencorals.de/meeresbiologie/marine-biology-weeks/?lang=en
It’s best to book now with one of our selected dive tour operators:
Aqua Active Agency, Fish & Trips, actionsport, WeDive, Reisecenter Federsee
