Easter Island is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park.
The Rapa Nui are the aboriginal Polynesian inhabitants of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of Easter Island make up about 60% of the current Easter Island population and have a significant portion of their population residing in mainland Chile. They speak both the traditional Rapa Nui language and the primary language of Chile, Spanish. At the 2017 census there were 7,750 island inhabitants—almost all living in the village of Hanga Roa on the sheltered west coast.
Parioglossus marginalis, also known as the blackmargin dartfish, is a species of dartfish native to the brackish waters of the coast of New South Wales, Australia and around the northern part of the North Island and Great Barrier Island in New Zealand, This species may be an introduced species in New Zealand, being brought from Australia in ship's ballast water. This species can reach a length of 3.3 centimetres (1.3 in) SL. It is thought by some workers that Parioglossus neoclaedonicus from New Caledonia may be a synonym of P. marginalis and that the Caroline Islands species Parioglossus verticalis, which is known form just a single specimen, may also be synonymous with this species. To resolve these taxonomic uncertainties molecular studies will be required.
Nemateleotris decora, the elegant firefish or purple firefish, is a species of dartfish native to tropical waters in the Indo-West Pacific, from Mauritius to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, and south to New Caledonia, from depths ranging between 25 to 70 m. It is found over hard, open bottoms of reefs, sandy patches and rubble, as well as deeper coastal outer reef drop-offs where there are strong currents. It reaches a maximum length of 9 cm (3 in). This species is often found in pairs and is monogamous. They feed on zooplankton, especially the larvae of copepods and crustaceans. They will dart into holes when alarmed. The populations of this species from the western Indian Ocean have been recognised by some workers as a distinct species, Nemateleotris exquisita, however, the validity of this taxon needs more taxonomic research.
Rapa Nui National Park is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located on Easter Island, Chile. Rapa Nui is the Polynesian name of Easter Island; its Spanish name is Isla de Pascua. The island is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeastern extremity of the Polynesian Triangle. The island was taken over by Chile in 1888. Its fame and World Heritage status arise from the 887 extant stone statues known by the name "moai", whose creation is attributed to the early Rapa Nui people who inhabited the island around 300 AD. Much of the island has been declared as Rapa Nui National Park which, on 22 March 1996, UNESCO designated a World Heritage Site under cultural criteria (i), (iii), & (v). The Rapa Nui National Park is now under the administrative control of the Ma´u Henua Polynesian Indigenous Community, which is the first autonomous institute on the island. The indigenous Rapa Nui people have regained authority over their ancestral lands and are in charge of the management, preservation and protection of their patrimony. On the first of December 2017, the ex-President Michelle Bachelet returned ancestral lands in the form of the Rapa Nui National Park to the indigenous people. For the first time in history, the revenue generated by the National Park is invested in the island and used to conserve the natural heritage.
Nemateleotris magnifica, known by a variety of common names including fire goby, magnificent fire fish, fire dartfish, or red fire goby is a species of dartfish native to the Indian and Pacific oceans from the eastern coast of Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and from the Austral Islands north to the Ryukyu Islands. It is an inhabitant of coral reefs where it can be found at depths of from 6 to 70 metres. It is usually found just above the bottom, facing into the current, where it awaits its prey of small invertebrates.
Gorgasia galzini is a species of garden eel. This marine fish lives in the Pacific Ocean, where found at depths of 17–53 m (56–174 ft) from Guam and the Coral Sea to the Society Islands. It reaches 53 cm (21 in) in length. Like other garden eels, this species lives in groups in sandy areas. The eels peep outside and look like very thin stems emerging from the sand. When possible predators get close to them, they retreat and disappear in the sand.
Geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on Earth, Easter Island, located in the mid-Pacific Ocean, was, for most of its history, one of the most isolated. Its inhabitants, the Rapa Nui, have endured famines, epidemics of disease and cannibalism, civil war, environmental collapse, slave raids, various colonial contacts, and have seen their population crash on more than one occasion. The ensuing cultural legacy has brought the island notoriety out of proportion to the number of its inhabitants.
Ptereleotris hanae, the blue gudgeon dartfish, blue hana goby, is a species of dartfish native to the western Pacific Ocean. It is a reef inhabitant, being found at depths of from 3 to 50 metres, though usually no shallower than 6 metres (20 ft). It inhabits burrows made by alpheid shrimp, but unlike the Amblyeleotris gobies who normally associate with these shrimp, this species has no interactions with their shrimp hosts. This species can reach a length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Ptereleotris zebra, the Zebra barred dartfish, Chinese zebra goby, is a species of dartfish native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. An inhabitant of reefs, it can be found in schools at depths of from 2 to 31 metres though usually no deeper than 4 metres (13 ft). This species can reach a length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in) SL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The gracile lizardfish(Saurida gracilis) is a species of lizardfish which lives mainly in the Indo-pacific region.
Myxodagnus is a genus of sand stargazers, native to the Pacific and Atlantic coastal waters of the Americas.
Myxodagnus belone, the dartfish, is a species of sand stargazer native to the waters around the Bahamas and Puerto Rico where they can be found on sandy bottoms from near the surface to 4 metres (13 ft) in depth. This species can reach a maximum length of 8.2 centimetres (3.2 in) SL.
Nemateleotris is a genus of dartfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Nemateleotris helfrichi, Helfrich's Dartfish, is a species of dartfish native to the Pacific Ocean.
Tryssogobius colini, commonly named "Colin's fairygoby" or "tiny dartfish," is a species of fish in the genus Tryssogobius. It can be found in the tropical western Pacific Ocean. The species may grow to an average length of 3.5 cm. The tiny dartfish is generally a pale blue-gray color with various light blue or violet spots on its fins and head. The specific name and common name honour the marine biologist Patrick L. Colin who as well as studying the biology of coral reefs collected the type specimen of this species as well in addition to other specimens.
Parioglossus is a genus of dartfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Ptereleotris is a genus of dartfishes found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
Pterocerdale insolita is a species of freshwater dartfish known only from Weipa, Queensland, Australia. This species grows to a length of 43.5 centimetres (17.1 in) SL. This species is the only known member of its genus.
The Sunset Perchlet, Plectranthias ahiahiata, is a fish of the family Serranidae, subfamily Anthiinae. It is believed to be endemic to Rapa Nui in the South Pacific. It was discovered at 90m depth during mesophotic coral ecosystem exploration by the deep diving team from the California Academy of Sciences. The name "ahiahiata" means “the last moments of light before nightfall” in the Rapa Nui language, and it was given to this fish because it reminded the scientists who discovered it of the sunsets in Easter Island.
