Mangaia fish comparative collection

In June to July 1991, Virginia Butler spent 11 days collecting fishes and making observations of species and habitat preferences through snorkeling. With help from several Mangaians (especially Ma‘ara Ngu, Tuara George, Sonny Taomia, and Peter Ngatokorua), fish were speared, netted, and caught with hook and line. Whole fish were photographed in the field to record coloration that fades postmortem. Fish were frozen and returned to the United States, where more detailed taxonomic identifications were made, using species and generic keys. Photographs of fishes whose identification was ambiguous were sent to Arnold Suzumoto and Jack Randall at the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu who confirmed identifications. Representatives of each taxon were skeletonized (using warm water maceration), which generated 117 skeletons, representing 92 species, 65 genera, and 37 families.