First Ichthyological Inventory of La Pérouse Seamount, Reunion Island, Southwestern Indian Ocean: La Pérouse Expedition, 2019
Abstract
La Pérouse Seamount, located approximately 166 km northwest of Reunion Island, is an isolated volcanic feature whose summit rises to less than 60 m below the sea surface. Still largely unexplored, this mesophotic environment was the subject of a scientific expedition in 2019 aimed, among other objectives, at conducting the first inventory of its fish community. The study was based on the analysis of video footage and photographs collected by professional divers using rebreathers and operating at depths ranging from 60 to 140 m. A total of 147 species belonging to 36 families were recorded. The fish assemblage was characterized by a high representation of Serranidae, Labridae, and Acanthuridae, and comprised both typically reef-associated species (68%) and species characteristic of mesophotic environments (20%). Its trophic structure was particularly distinctive, with a strong dominance of carnivorous species—including piscivores, invertivores, and planktivores—which accounted for 86% of the species observed. The inventory also revealed seven species not previously recorded from Reunion Island, as well as three taxa potentially new to science, although their identification could not be confirmed based on photographic evidence alone. More than one-third of the recorded species were of fisheries interest, while several species observed were of conservation concern. These findings highlight the distinctive and remarkable nature of the fish assemblage of La Pérouse Seamount and emphasize the ecological importance of isolated seamounts and mesophotic habitats in the southwestern Indian Ocean, which remain largely understudied.
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BibTeX
@article{durville2026first,
title = {{First Ichthyological Inventory of La Pérouse Seamount, Reunion Island, Southwestern Indian Ocean: La Pérouse Expedition, 2019}},
author = {Patrick Durville and Thierry Mulochau and Jean Pascal Quod and Mathieu Pinault and Laurent Ballesta},
journal = {Annales de la Société des Sciences naturelles de Charente-Maritime},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.22658386},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05742357v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - First Ichthyological Inventory of La Pérouse Seamount, Reunion Island, Southwestern Indian Ocean: La Pérouse Expedition, 2019
AU - Patrick Durville
AU - Thierry Mulochau
AU - Jean Pascal Quod
AU - Mathieu Pinault
AU - Laurent Ballesta
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/08
JO - Annales de la Société des Sciences naturelles de Charente-Maritime
DO - 10.5281/zenodo.22658386
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05742357v1
AB - La Pérouse Seamount, located approximately 166 km northwest of Reunion Island, is an isolated volcanic feature whose summit rises to less than 60 m below the sea surface. Still largely unexplored, this mesophotic environment was the subject of a scientific expedition in 2019 aimed, among other objectives, at conducting the first inventory of its fish community. The study was based on the analysis of video footage and photographs collected by professional divers using rebreathers and operating at depths ranging from 60 to 140 m. A total of 147 species belonging to 36 families were recorded. The fish assemblage was characterized by a high representation of Serranidae, Labridae, and Acanthuridae, and comprised both typically reef-associated species (68%) and species characteristic of mesophotic environments (20%). Its trophic structure was particularly distinctive, with a strong dominance of carnivorous species—including piscivores, invertivores, and planktivores—which accounted for 86% of the species observed. The inventory also revealed seven species not previously recorded from Reunion Island, as well as three taxa potentially new to science, although their identification could not be confirmed based on photographic evidence alone. More than one-third of the recorded species were of fisheries interest, while several species observed were of conservation concern. These findings highlight the distinctive and remarkable nature of the fish assemblage of La Pérouse Seamount and emphasize the ecological importance of isolated seamounts and mesophotic habitats in the southwestern Indian Ocean, which remain largely understudied.
SN - 0373-9929
SN - 2534-2053
ER -