National Parks of Taiwan

Dongsha Atoll National Park recorded a new species for Taiwan upon the discovery of the world's smallest coral reef benthic fish species—Trimmatom nanus. This type of marine fish is petite in size, with female adult fish growing to a length of roughly 9 mm. The greatest size ever recorded does not exceed 10 mm. The Trimmatom nanus is a coral reef benthic fish species , in the past, usually found along the western Indian Ocean and the western and central areas of the Pacific Ocean. This discovery was led by Professor Chen Yi Xiong and his research team when engaging in snorkeling investigation at Donghsa Atoll. Currently, this is the northernmost recording of this species in terms of global distribution.

The seas around Dongsha Atoll are biological diversity.Since 1995 there have been discoveries and recordings of 679 fish species, with 78 species of Gobiodei. The new discovery of the Trimmatom nanus also highlights the extremely rich and important fish biodiversity contained within the waters of Dongsha Atoll.

In recent years, seawater warming and typhoons have been directly affected by global climate change, and this directly impacts the benthic habitats of Dongsha Atoll National Park , whether in the form of coral death or sediment disturbance.Small benthic marine fish are highly reliant on the seabed sediment, and not only do the changes in the diversity of these species directly affect the completeness of the habitats, they can further become the basis for the management of marine ecosystems. For more information, please link to the website's ecosystem conservation/new knowledge on marine conservation/marine knowledge browser for relevant articles.

The world's smallest coral reef benthic fish species— Trimmatom nanus/ Photographed by Chen Yi Xiong.

The sea landscape of the outer atoll of Dongsha Atoll. / Photographed by Chen Yi Xiong.