Abstract
The large dog cockle, Tucetona laticostata (Quoy and Gaimard, 1835), is widely but sporadically distributed throughout coastal waters of Hauraki Gulf. One location at which this species proves common is around Otata Island, one of a series of islands in the ‘Noises’ complex in Hauraki Gulf, where it resides partially buried in gravel and rhodoliths in shallow water, at 5–15 m depth. The shells of T. laticostata collect in large post-mortem deposits in an area ramping from the sea bed off southwestern Otata Island. Seasonal variation in and benthic macroinvertebrate composition of taxon assemblages within and outside T. laticostata/rhodolith mounds and gravel are described. Both benthic invertebrate mean taxon richness and abundance within T. laticostata/rhodolith habitat are higher than in gravel; spatial and temporal variation in these communities is reported. Anthropogenic threats to structurally complex T. laticostata shell and rhodolith-based biogenic substrata are discussed.
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