Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec islands April 2025

An updated checklist of the fish fauna of Lord Howe Island, Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs, Norfolk Island and the Kermadec Islands.The subtropical islands of the north Tasman Sea have a fascinating mix of tropical, subtropical and temperate marine fishes. Species diversity and the proportion of tropical species in the fauna decline from west to east (Lord Howe Island, Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs > Norfolk Island > Kermadec Islands) (Francis 1993, Francis & Duffy 2015). This checklist has been compiled as a resource for those wishing to understand and interact with the fish faunas of these islands, monitor biodiversity and coastal fish biogeography, and to assess changes in the faunas as a result of global climate change.Coastal fishes are defined here as those species that occur within 50 m of the surface and 1 km of the shore, excluding oceanic pelagic species. Most species included in the checklist are reef fishes, but species living on or in sand, and in open water near the coast, are also included.