Updated checklist and analysis of completeness of the marine fish fauna of Isla del Coco, Pacific of Costa Rica

Abstract

Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, is one of the five groups of oceanic islands of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), and is considered one of the most diverse. Since the mid-19th century, it has been the target of a number of scientific research expeditions that have produced specimen collections which are housed in natural history museums around the world. The fish assemblage of Isla del Coco is considered one of the most speciose and best documented group of marine organisms of the island. Despite this, recent work has resulted in a need to update the checklist for this important group. We performed a completeness analysis of the ichthyofauna of Isla del Coco based on scientific publications and reports of expeditions, specimens in foreign and national collections, and field surveys. We confirmed the presence of 514 species of marine fishes, representing an increase of approximately 23 % compared to what was previously reported. From a habitat perspective, 58 % of this assemblage is typically reef fishes, while the remaining 42 % are deep-water, and pelagic species. The average expected reef fish species richness is 318.2 ± 7.3, suggesting that the local inventory represents 93.7 % of the expected total richness. Our updated list and greater number of species has particular relevance to the conservation efforts at Isla del Coco, since current conservation efforts are protecting at least 50 % of ETP fish species and about 40 % of Costa Rica’s Pacific fish species.