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ISRA FACTSHEETS

NEW ZEALAND & PACIFIC ISLANDS REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

NEW ZEALAND & PACIFIC ISLANDS REGION

Maupiti ISRA

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Maupiti ISRA

Maupiti

Summary

Maupiti is located in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The area encompasses shallow parts of the lagoon around Maupiti Island and the main channel connecting the lagoon with the open ocean. The area is characterised by coral reefs and seagrass beds, and influenced by nutrient-rich fronts, and occasional upwellings. Within the area there are: threatened species and undefined aggregations (Reef Manta Ray Mobula alfredi).

Maupiti

Maupiti

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Maupiti is located in the western part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is part of a volcanic island chain, characterised by a central island surrounded by a shallow lagoon enclosed by a barrier reef. Maupiti Island is the oldest of the volcanic islands created by the Society hot spot, dated at 4.21 ± 0.04 Ma (Blais et al. 2002). The area has a unique combination of both static and dynamic habitat features, including coral reefs, seagrass beds, nutrient-rich fronts, and occasional upwellings (A Carpentier & V Poly pers. obs. 2024). The lagoon is relatively shallow, with depths ranging from a few meters at the edges to around 20–30 m in deeper sections. The area encompasses shallow parts of the lagoon and the only main channel, Onoiay Pass, and its entrance, connecting the lagoon with the open ocean.

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthopelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 250 m based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

One Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species regularly occurs in the area. This is the Vulnerable Reef Manta Ray (Marshall et al. 2022).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C5 – UNDEFINED AGGREGATIONS

Maupiti is an important area for undefined aggregations of one ray species.

This area is a cleaning station for Reef Manta Rays. Between 2014–2024, photo-identification surveys on snorkel and scuba were conducted in the area and recorded 1,246 sightings of 84 individuals (Carpentier et al. 2019; Carpentier 2023; French Polynesia Manta Project unpubl. data 2024). Cleaning behaviour was noted in 96.6% (n = 1,204) of the observations at two main cleaning station sites within the area. Aggregations of up to 11 individuals have been observed using cleaning stations in the area (T Gabrielsky & E Ah-Yun pers. comm. 2024). Aggregations of 4–5 individuals from July to November are commonly observed (T Gabrielsky & E Ah-Yun pers. comm. 2024). Of the 84 Reef Manta Rays identified, 98% (n = 82) have been re-sighted in the area between 2014–2024 at least once indicating high site fidelity. Furthermore, 63% (n = 53) of the identified individuals were observed exclusively in Maupiti (French Polynesia Manta Project unpubl. data 2024), highlighting the importance of the area to this species.

Maupiti

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