In the pink – new coralline algae programme
The rich biodiversity in our groundwater
Are snails the "canaries" of biodiversity change in streams?
Video reveals unusual lace coral communities
A living fossil diatom discovered in Antarctic waters
Tarns: islands of endemism for diatoms?
On the quest for spongy pests
A diver collects samples from under the ice in the Ross Sea.
Left: chains of the diatom D. marginopunctatum attached to the red alga Phyllophora antarctica.
Right: the silicified cell wall of D. marginopunctatum.
NIWA researchers recently discovered a living fossil diatom growing as an epiphyte on the red alga Phyllophora antarctica.
The discovery of the chain-forming diatom Drepanotheca marginopunctatum at Cape Evans, near the southern limit of the Ross Sea, highlights the need for careful taxonomic examination of marine benthic flora from poorly studied sites.
Phreatoicus typicus, the first ever phreaticoid isopod known to science.
Paracrangonyx compactus, one of the first three amphipods described from New Zealand groundwater.
Top: Hexabathynella aotearoae
Middle: Paracrangonyx compactus
Bottom: Phreatoicus typicus
It may not be the type of environment that you would expect to be rich in biodiversity, but in groundwaters some 10 m or more beneath the ground there is a diverse range of crustaceans and other animals.
Intertidal coralline algae near the mouth of Ohau Stream, north of Kaikoura (photo: K. Neill).
The least studied of New Zealand’s macroalgal flora may be one of the most important – at least as far as paua and other marine fauna are concerned.
An unnamed hydrobiid species collected from a stream near Waitomo (photo: M. Haase).
Mollusca make up about 7% of all living fauna and flora and are the second largest phylum in the animal kingdom. In freshwater ecosystems there are two classes of molluscs – bivalves and gastropods. The Hydrobiidae from the gastropod group are especially diverse with more than 1000 species currently recognised.
Ancorina alata
Leucettusa lancifer
Dendrilla rosea
Hamigera tarangaensis
Leucettusa tubulosa
Psammocinia hawere
Sponges are sedentary marine invertebrates, yet, like many other marine species, they are able to forge a path across bays and between continents without much effort.
Victoria Range, South Island.
Collecting algae from a shallow tarn near Arthur’s Pass. The reddish organic substrate contains rich populations of cyanobacteria, diatoms, and other algae (photo: G. Wheaton).
Bealey Spur near Arthur’s Pass.
Scanning electron micrograph of Fragilariforma.
Scanning electron micrograph of Eunophora.
Live diatoms. The largest specimen is about 60 µm long.
Live diatoms. The largest specimen is about 60 µm long.
Diatoms are the commonest algae in the world, yet they are so small that they are practically invisible.
A delicate mound of the bryozoan Smittoidea maunganuiensis from Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island.
A mixed community of bryozoans and sponges off Ulva Island, Stewart Island.
A bryozoan mound off Separation Point.
The Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) used to obtain video footage of the bryozoan communities.
Several species of small colony-forming animals called bryozoans or “lace corals” form large mounds on the seafloor. While bryozoans are not related to true corals, they can look similar to the more familiar corals of the tropics.
