{"id":7941,"date":"2026-04-10T14:07:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/?page_id=7941"},"modified":"2026-10-23T16:44:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T03:44:57","slug":"motuhinahina","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/volumes\/2026-1\/motuhinahina\/","title":{"rendered":"Perspectives in Biodiversity | 2026 | Volume 4 (1) | pp 31\u201359"},"content":{"rendered":"<nav class=\"items-justified-center wp-block-navigation is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-navigation-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-navigation-is-layout-flex\" aria-label=\"Perspectives in Biodiversity\"><ul class=\"wp-block-navigation__container items-justified-center wp-block-navigation\"><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/\" rel=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/\" title=\"Home\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Home PBD |<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/editorial-board\/\" rel=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/editorial-board\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Editorial Board |<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/author-guidelines\/\" rel=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-animal-health-and-welfare\/author-guidelines\/\" title=\"Author Guidelines\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Author Guidelines |<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/volumes\/\" rel=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/volumes\/\" title=\"Issues\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Articles |<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/editorial-board\/\" rel=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/editorial-board\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Contact Us <\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Research Paper<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/volumes\/2026-1\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"7920\">Volume 4 (1)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The vegetation, flora, mycobiota and vertebrate fauna of Motuhinahina, a limestone island in Te Whanga Lagoon, R\u0113kohu \/ Wharekauri \/ Chatham Island<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6699-7083\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6699-7083\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" class=\"wp-image-5587\" style=\"width: 20px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image.png\" alt=\"ORCID\"><\/a> Peter J. de Lange<sup>1,*<\/sup>, Rowan K. Scott<sup>2<\/sup>, <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0637-7139\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0637-7139\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" class=\"wp-image-5587\" style=\"width: 20px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image.png\" alt=\"ORCID\"><\/a> Campbell J. James<sup>1<\/sup>, Dayna J. M. McKenzie<sup>1<\/sup>, <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0389-4807\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0389-4807\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" class=\"wp-image-5587\" style=\"width: 20px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image.png\" alt=\"ORCID\"><\/a> Marleen Baling<sup>1<\/sup>, <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2469-8567\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2469-8567\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" class=\"wp-image-5587\" style=\"width: 20px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image.png\" alt=\"ORCID\"><\/a> Rachel R. Klein<sup>1<\/sup>, Karla Butcher<sup>3<\/sup>, Amelia Tapp<sup>1<\/sup>, Sophie Rear<sup>1<\/sup>, <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8603-9461\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8603-9461\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" class=\"wp-image-5587\" style=\"width: 20px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image.png\" alt=\"ORCID\"><\/a> Andrew Marshall<sup>1<\/sup>, Rob Chappell<sup>4<\/sup>, Hamish Tuanui-Chisholm<sup>5<\/sup><br><br>Affiliations:<br><sup>1<\/sup> School of Environmental and Animal Sciences, Manukau Institute of Technology and Unitec, Private Bag 92025, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.<br><sup>2<\/sup> Northland Regional Council, Private Bag 9021, Te Mai, Whang\u0101rei 0143, New Zealand.<br><sup>3<\/sup> School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Thomas Building, 44 Symonds Street, Grafton Auckland 101, New Zealand.<br><sup>4<\/sup> 200 Mannion Road, Wyuna Bay, Coromandel 3581, New Zealand.<br><sup>5<\/sup> 1007 Waitangi-Tuku Road, Chatham Islands 8016, New Zealand.<br><sup>*<\/sup> Corresponding author: <a href=\"mailto:pdelange@unitec.ac.nz\">pdelange@unitec.ac.nz<\/a><br><br>Received: 3 September 2025 | Accepted: 13 November 2025 | Published: 12 October 2026<br>Associate Editor: Lilith Fisher<br><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.55457\/pibdiv.004104\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.55457\/pibdiv.004104<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/04-PBD-deLange-et-al-2026.pdf\" data-type=\"attachment\" data-id=\"8290\">Download PDF<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong>:<br>Motuhinahina (0.454 ha, 3 m a.s.l., -43.896777 [45\u00b053&#8217;47.01&#8243; W] -176.488079 [176\u00b029&#8217;17.02&#8243; S]) is the largest of the 21 limestone islands and rock stacks present along the western side of Te Whanga, R\u0113kohu \/ Wharekauri \/ Chatham Island. The island is an example of a very uncommon terrestrial ecosystem on Chatham\u2019s karst islands, islets and rock stacks. The island is notable for its role as a safe refuge and nesting site for papua \/ Chatham Island shag (<em>Leucocarbo onslowi<\/em>) and kawau o Rangihaute \/ Pitt Island shag (<em>Phalacrocorax featherstoni<\/em>), and for having a key population of wai\u016b-atua \/ shore spurge (<em>Euphorbia glauca<\/em>), a seriously threatened species on the Chatham Islands, and in decline on the main islands of Aotearoa \/ New Zealand. In this paper, we document some of the biota of Motuhinahina. For the flora and mycobiota we report 136 taxa present from 78 families (one chromist [brown seaweed], four algal, 12 bryophyte, six pteridophyte [Polypodiopsida], 38 Angiosperm [flowering plant], seven fungal and ten lichenised mycobiota) and 126 genera (one chromist [brown seaweed], four algal, 14 bryophyte, seven pteridophyte, 77 flowering plants, eight fungal and 15 lichenised mycobiont). Fourteen bird species (11 indigenous \/ endemic and three naturalised) are also reported. Puhina \/ kekeno \/ New Zealand fur seals (<em>Arctocephalus forsteri<\/em>) are reported to be increasing in numbers and breeding on the island. Six vegetation associations and landforms are described and mapped using the field-based method described by Atkinson in 1985. One fern, <em>Asplenium appendiculatum <\/em>subsp. <em>appendiculatum<\/em>, two flowering plants, <em>Centipeda minima <\/em>subsp. <em>minima <\/em>and <em>Lachnagrostis pilosa <\/em>subsp. <em>nubifera<\/em>, and one lichen, <em>Flavoplaca mereschkowskiana<\/em>, are either new records for the Chatham Islands or Aotearoa as a whole. Motuhinahina has huge potential as a secure site to establish several Chatham Islands ornithocoprophilous endemics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cite as<\/strong><br>de Lange, P. J., Scott, R. K., James, C. J., McKenzie, D. J. M., Baling, M., Klein, R. R., Butcher, K., Tapp, A., Rear, S., Marshall, A., Chappell, R., &amp; Tuanui-Chisholm, H. (2026). The vegetation, flora, mycobiota and vertebrate fauna of Motuhinahina, a limestone island in Te Whanga Lagoon, R\u0113kohu \/ Wharekauri \/ Chatham Island. <em>Perspectives in Biodiversity<\/em>, 4(1): 31\u201359.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.55457\/pibdiv.004104\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.55457\/pibdiv.004104<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Research Paper Volume 4 (1) The vegetation, flora, mycobiota and vertebrate fauna of Motuhinahina, a limestone island in Te Whanga Lagoon, R\u0113kohu \/ Wharekauri \/ Chatham Island Peter J. de Lange1,*, Rowan K. Scott2, Campbell J. James1, Dayna J. M&#8230;. <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-biodiversity\/volumes\/2026-1\/motuhinahina\/\">Continue Reading &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":7920,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7941","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7941"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8916,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7941\/revisions\/8916"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}