Page Contents: Section | Significance | Background | Location & Dates | Taxonomic Contents | Documentation | Description of Collection | Collection Inventory | Collection Assets Specimen Condition | Container Condition | Label Condition | Label Content | Level of Taxonomic Identification

Fiji, Yaqara Bay 2005

Section Responsible for Processing

MBC

Significance

The Fiji 2005 collection is part of the Yaqara Bay Biodiversity Inventory Project. A planned inventory of macrofaunal invertebrate species designed to be comprehensive and collaborative. The 2,100 hectares adjacent to the bay have been scheduled for city-scale residential and commercial development by the Yaqara Group Limited. An inventory of Yaqara Bay both prior and subsequent to the development will be taken for potential consideration in establishing a Marine Protected Area. By initiating this study early in the development process, it is anticipated that construction will proceed within a framework that is sensitive to the need to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

Background

PI: Stephen Dunbar, funding from Fiji Water, Yaqara Group and Loma Linda University

Publications resulting from project:

Fiji Time Newspaper, Thursday, August 28, 2003, “Researchers focus on the small fry”

38th European Marine Biology Symposium, September 8 - 12, 2003, “Marine cryptofauna of Yaqara Bay, Fiji: finding the fauna before and after development.” Poster.

Today, Thursday, June 10, 2004, “Natural science professor conducts study in Fiji”

Fiji Times Newspaper, Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Fiji One TV News, Sunday, January 23, 2005

Fiji Times Newspaper, Tuesday, February 1, 2005, “Expert pioneers Yaqara Bay project”

Fiji One TV News, Friday, February 4, 2005

Vancouver Aquarium AquaNews, Friday, June 17, 2005, http://www.vanaqua.org/aquanews/field/index.html

Bay of Plenty Yaqara Bay Biodiversity Inventory Home Page, http://resweb.llu.edu/sdunbar/fiji/fiji_main.html

Nomura, K. & Anker, A. (submitted 2006). The taxonomic identity of Alpheus gracilipes Stimpson, 1860 (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae), with description of five new cryptic species, mainly from Japan. Crustacean Research.

Anker, A. & Marin, I. (in prep 2006). The alpheid shrimp genus Leptalpheus Williams, 1965 in the Indo-West Pacific (Crustacea: Decapoda), with description of a new species from the Philippines.

Anker, A., Ahyong, S. T., Noel, P. Y., Palmer, A. R. (2006). Morphological phylogeny of alpheid shrimps: parallel preadaptation and the origin of a key morphological innovation, the snapping claw. Evolution, 60(12):2507-2528.

Collection Location and Dates

Yaqara Bay, north coast of Viti Levu
Dates: 1/19/05 to 2/7/05
Coordinates: 17infinity18.586' to 17infinity23.723' S and from 177infinity54.462' to 178infinity01.076' E. Depth range from 15 to 52 feet.

Taxonomic Contents

A total of 1,087 specimen lots were collected.
512 crustaceans
244 molluscs
210 polychaetes
56 echinoderms
20 fishes
18 sipunculids
9 platyhelminthes
4 nemerteans
3 echiurans
3 ascidaceans
3 cnidarians
2 insects
1 foram
1 brachiopod

Documentation

The Yaqara Bay Biodiversity Inventory Project (YBBIP) report summaries the 2003 and 2004 collecting events. Yaqara Bay is located on the north shore of Viti Levu and was inventoried for macrofaunal invertebrates prior to the proposed major development activities (hotels and marinas).

Description of Collection

Fine sorted lots of 70% and 95% ethanol preserved benthic invertebrates. Polychaetes were fixed in 10% formalin and then preserved in 70% ethanol. All other phyla (non-polychaetes) were preserved directly in 70% or 95% ethanol as indicated on the specimen label. Specimens are housed in museum MBPC/Polychaete Collection Range (basement).

Collection Inventory

Ca. 180 2-32 ounce jars with 1,087 specimen lots.

Collection Assets

Date	View or Retrieve	File Information
08/05/2008	View [1727.8 kB]	Brachyura. Photo by K. Omura.
08/05/2008	View [1633.5 kB]	Vial with crustaceans. Photo by K. Omura.
08/05/2008	View [341.6 kB]	Calappid crab from Viti Levu, southside of island. Photo by K. Omura.
03/07/2007	Retrieve [4541.7 kB]	Yaqara Bay Biodiversity Inventory Project 2004 & 2005 Report
03/07/2007	Retrieve [569.9 kB]	Field notes from Steve Dunbar
03/07/2007	Retrieve [270.5 kB]	Original field/collection notes which were used to generate specimen label data

Curatorial Status (Click to view)

Specimen Condition

Date	4: New alcohol needed immediately (specimens will otherwise be irreparably damaged)	3: Containers need to be 'topped off'	2: New alcohol needed within next 6-12 months	1: No curation needed at present
03/07/2007	0%	0%	0%	100%

Container Condition

Date	4: Immediate short-term (less than 5 years) storage container replacement needed. Present containers are inadequate. Curate in the short-term with plastic buckets, whirltop bags, or similar.	3: Specimens contained in museum-grade long-term (greater than 5 years) storage containers. Jars need new closures (e.g. replace Bakelite and metal lids).	2: Transfer to museum-grade long-term storage containers. Replace or transfer to new jars and glass vials, replace cotton and closures.	1: Containers are museum-grade and meet highest curation standards.
03/07/2007	0%	0%	0%	100%

Label Condition

Date	4: New labels needed immediately (original labels in poor condition, paper torn/worn, legibility poor).	3: New labels needed within next 1-2 years (original labels beginning to wear, pencil writing fading, low quality paper was used).	2: New labels needed are as a result of curation and accretion of collection.	1: No new labels needed at present.
06/15/2007	0%	0%	0%	100%
03/07/2007	0%	0%	100%	0%

Label Content

Date	2: New label or additional label needed because original label data is incomplete and supporting documentation provides additional collection data which greately enhances significance and value of each lot.	1: Label content complete. All collection data are contained on label.
06/15/2007	0%	100%
03/07/2007	100%	0%

Level of Taxonomic Identification

Date	7: Not identified	6: Phylum	5: Class	4: Order	3: Family	2: Genus	1: Species
03/07/2007	0%	5%	0%	67%	25%	3%	0%
	5% of the polychaetes, cnidarians, and insects are identified to phylum; 67% of crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms are identified to order; 25% of the polychaetes are identified to family; 3% of the polychaetes, crustaceans, and nudibranchs are identified to genus.