Coral Diversity Survey: Volivoli Beach, Viti Levu and Dravuni and Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji, 2006

Occurrence Observation
Latest version published by Southwestern Pacific Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) Node on Mar 5, 2024 Southwestern Pacific Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) Node
Publication date:
5 March 2024
License:
CC-BY 4.0

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 909 records in English (44 KB) - Update frequency: not planned
Metadata as an EML file download in English (12 KB)
Metadata as an RTF file download in English (13 KB)

Description

This dataset is from a report of the reef coral fauna of 4 dive sites off Volivoli, near Rakiraki, northern Viti Levu, Fiji, found in August, 2006 and 13 dive and snorkel sites, on the Great Astrolabe Reef and near Dravuni Island, Kadavu, Fiji, found in September, 2006.The principle aim of these coral surveys was to provide an inventory of the coral species growing on reefs and associated habitats and compare the coral fauna on different sites. This includes species growing on sand or other soft sediments within and around reefs. The primary group of corals is the zooxanthellate scleractinian corals, that is, those that contain single-cell algae and which contribute to building the reef. Also included are a small number of zooxanthellate non-scleractinian corals which also produce skeletons large enough to contribute to the reef (e.g., Millepora, Heliopora, Tubipora, Distichopora: fire coral, blue coral, organ-pipe coral, and thick lace coral, respectively), and a small number of azooxanthellate scleractinian corals (Tubastrea). All produce calcium carbonate skeletons that contribute to reef building to some degree.

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 909 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Fenner D (2024). Coral Diversity Survey: Volivoli Beach, Viti Levu and Dravuni and Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji, 2006. Version 1.0. Southwestern Pacific Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) Node. Occurrence dataset. https://nzobisipt.niwa.co.nz/resource?r=coral_volivoli_dravuni_fiji&v=1.0

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Southwestern Pacific Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) Node. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has not been registered with GBIF

Keywords

Occurrence; Observation

Contacts

Douglas Fenner
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Originator ●
  • Point Of Contact
  • Researcher
Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources
Pago Pago
AS
Kevin Mackay
  • User

Geographic Coverage

Volivoli (Viti Levu) and Dravuni and Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji

Bounding Coordinates South West [-18.82, 178.12], North East [-17.25, 178.55]

Temporal Coverage

Start Date / End Date 2006-08-01 / 2006-09-30

Sampling Methods

Corals were surveyed by SCUBA and snorkel dives.

Study Extent Volivoli, Viti Levu and Dravuni and Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji

Method step description:

  1. For Volivoli, Viti Levu, corals were surveyed in 4 scuba dives by D. Fenner to a maximum depth of 20.6 m. A list of coral species was recorded at each site. The basic method consisted of underwater observations. The name of each species identified was marked on a plastic sheet on which species names were printed. The recorder followed the path of the resort dive guide, and most time was spent on the low to middle reef wall. Sample areas of all habitats encountered were surveyed. Many corals can be identified to species with certainty in the water and a few must be identified alive since they cannot be identified without living tissues. Also, there are some that are easier to identify alive than from skeletons. Field guides assisted identification (Veron and Stafford-Smith, 2002; Veron, 2000; Wallace, 1999ab). Two small samples of one species of staghorn (Acropora) were collected with permission, to determine whether this was a new species, or a species not known from Fiji. These two samples were examined at the University of the South Pacific and contributed to their collection. Additional references supporting identification are listed in references (Best & Suharsono, 1991; Boschma, 1959; Cairns & Zibrowius, 1997; Claereboudt, M. 1990; Dai, 1989; Dai & Lin 1992; Dineson, 1980; Fenner, in preparation; Hodgson, 1985; Hodgson & Ross, 1981; Hoeksema, 1989; Hoeksema & Best, 1991; Hoeksema & Best 1992; Moll & Best, 1984; Nemenzo 1986; Nishihira, 1986; Ogawa & Takamashi, 1993, 1995; Randall & Cheng, 1984: Sheppard & Sheppard, 1991; Suharsono, 1996; Veron, 1985, 1986, 1990, 2000; Veron & Nishihira, 1995; Veron & Pichon 1976, 1980, 1982; Veron, Pichon & Wijman-Best, 1977; Wallace 1994, 1997a, Wallace & Wolstenholme 1998).
  2. For Dravuni and the Great Astrolabe Reef, corals were surveyed in 10 scuba dives and 3 snorkels by D. Fenner to a maximum depth of 28.8 m. A list of coral species was recorded at each site. The basic method consisted of underwater observations. The name of each species identified was marked on a plastic sheet on which species names were printed. Sample areas of all habitats encountered were surveyed. Many corals can be identified to species with certainty in the water and a few must be identified alive since they cannot be identified without living tissues. Also, there are some that are easier to identify alive than from skeletons. Field guides assisted identification (Veron and Stafford-Smith, 2002; Veron, 2000; Wallace, 1999ab). Corals were also studied in the University of the South Pacific’s School of Marine Studies coral collection for about 2 hours, and the results of that study are also included. Additional references supporting identification are listed in references (Best & Suharsono, 1991; Boschma, 1959; Cairns & Zibrowius, 1997; Claereboudt, M. 1990; Dai, 1989; Dai & Lin 1992; Dineson, 1980; Fenner, in preparation; Hodgson, 1985; Hodgson & Ross, 1981; Hoeksema, 1989; Hoeksema & Best, 1991; Hoeksema & Best 1992; Moll & Best,1984; Nemenzo 1986; Nishihira, 1986; Ogawa & Takamashi, 1993, 1995; Randall & Cheng, 1984: Sheppard & Sheppard, 1991; Suharsono, 1996; Veron, 1985, 1986, 1990, 2000; Veron & Nishihira, 1995; Veron & Pichon 1976, 1980, 1982; Veron, Pichon & Wijman-Best, 1977; Wallace 1994, 1997a, Wallace & Wolstenholme 1998).

Bibliographic Citations

  1. Fenner, B. 2007. Coral Diversity Survey: Volivoli Beach, Viti Levu and Dravuni and Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji, 2006. IAS Technical Report No. 2007/03. 35 pp.

Additional Metadata

marine, harvested by iOBIS

Alternative Identifiers https://nzobisipt.niwa.co.nz/resource?r=coral_volivoli_dravuni_fiji