With such protection as a marine reserve offers and the natural biodiversity that the Poor Knights Islands have, the fish species seen here over the year is very impressive. Many of the species reside there all year around, whilst others will visit when food, currents and temperatures dictate
Below are is a growing list of some of the fish we have seen and photographed since 2012. This page and the list of fishes will be added to as we find time to work on it and are lucky enough to see more species.
Fishes D to G
Demoiselles – Two Spot
Chromis disilus
Dwarf Scorpion Fish
Scorpaena papillosus
Eagle Ray
Myliobatis tenuicaudatus
Elegant Wrasse
Eyebrow Perch
Hypoplectrodes sp A
Flounder
Rhombosolea plbeia
Frogfish
Antennarius sp
A rare find at the Poor Knights, but these amazing camouflage experts do turn up there from time to time.
This frog fish photo is from one of our overseas Dive Trips and not from the Poor Knights, at least for now.
Flying Fish
Cypselurus lineatus
The graceful flying fish may be seen on the journey out to the Poor Knights as the shaol gets spooked by the passing boat, they jump from the water and glide away to safety.
They are a favorite food for kingfish and bronze whaler sharks who hunt them at night. These photos are from a night dive at Middle Arch and large kingfish were hunting them.
Garden Eels
Gorgasia japonica
Giant Boarfish
Paristiopterus labiosus
Goat Fish – Red Mullet
Upeneichthys porosus
Golden Snapper
Centroberyx affnis
Like the other New Zealand named snapper, Golden Snapper are not in fact from the snapper family. They are also not even related to the other New Zealand Snapper. They are in fact related to the Orange Roughy family – Lutjanidae
Gold Ribbon Groper
Grey Moray Eel
Gymnothorax nubilus
Our most common of the 5 moray species seen at the Poor Knights. They can often be seen drapped in or over kelp, in a rocky crack and sometimes with another grey moray, or even another species of moray. It’s not uncommon to see them free swimming during the day.
Green Wrasse
Notolabrus inscriptus
