Swimming ability of the larvae of some reef fishes from New Zealand waters

Larval fish, caught in good condition in light traps, were obliged to swim at 13.5 cm s (1) in a flume chamber without food or rest. Five species were strong swimmers capable of swimming for at least several days. Scorpis lineolatus (Scorpidae), swam longer than the others: >400 h on average (similar to 200 km) with one individual swimming for 559 h (271 km). The other two reef species, Upeneichthys lineatus (Mullidae) and Parika scaber (Monacanthidae), swam similar to 100 h (similar to 50 km) on average. Two non-reef carangids were also tested for comparison with the reef fishes: Trachurus sp. and a single Pseudocaranx dentex swam similar to 30 km and 82 km, respectively. These results add to the growing body of evidence that fish larvae should not be treated as passive particles.