About ten years ago I was diving at Flat Island, north of the Bay of Islands, when I found a colony of neat little urchins under a boulder. I grabbed one, and sent it to NIWA for identification, and they identified it as Goniocidaris corona, a rare species, recorded at the Bay of Islands (once) and the Poor Knights islands. When I was at NIWA a month or so back, scientist Owen Anderson asked me about it, as the had apparently mislaid my specimen, the only specimen they had. I decided if I had an opportunity I would go back and see if I could find them. That opportunity came yesterday when I went searching for fish for Professor Kendall Clements up at Flat Island. Unfortunately, despite a thorough look using a torch to probe under rocks and in crevices, I failed to find any. I suspect they are not very common, but I am determined to continue looking! This coming week I am back out with Kendall, and the University of Auckland, where we will be collecting specimens of herbivorous fish from Great Barrier Island.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Searchin' for Urchins
About ten years ago I was diving at Flat Island, north of the Bay of Islands, when I found a colony of neat little urchins under a boulder. I grabbed one, and sent it to NIWA for identification, and they identified it as Goniocidaris corona, a rare species, recorded at the Bay of Islands (once) and the Poor Knights islands. When I was at NIWA a month or so back, scientist Owen Anderson asked me about it, as the had apparently mislaid my specimen, the only specimen they had. I decided if I had an opportunity I would go back and see if I could find them. That opportunity came yesterday when I went searching for fish for Professor Kendall Clements up at Flat Island. Unfortunately, despite a thorough look using a torch to probe under rocks and in crevices, I failed to find any. I suspect they are not very common, but I am determined to continue looking! This coming week I am back out with Kendall, and the University of Auckland, where we will be collecting specimens of herbivorous fish from Great Barrier Island.
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