Boundaries

Vanuatu is located in the South Pacific east of Australia, southeast of the Solomon Islands, west of Fiji, and northeast of New Caledonia.

Topography

Vanuatu is an archipelago of volcanic islands.

Description of endemic fishes

There are five endemic species of Gobiidae in the ecoregion, including Stiphodon astilbos, Akihito vanuatu, Schismatogobius vanuatuensis, Sicyopterus aiensis, and Stiphodon kalfatak.

Other noteworthy fishes

One fish that is listed in the IUCN Red List is the giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus). However, several of the endemics may be threatened due to limited distribution and small population size (A. Jenkins pers. comm. 2006).

Justification for delineation

Vanuatu was defined on the basis of distinctive (endemic or near-endemic) fish faunas.

Level of taxonomic exploration

Low-medium