Marine Invertebrates

Latest news

Perilous puerulus – the epic life of the spiny red rock lobster

6 January 2020

Sam Fraser-Baxter heads to the Wairarapa for one of New Zealand’s longest-running marine surveys – counting baby lobster.

Eyeless worm a window into our diverse ocean

Media Release

13 August 2019

A worm that feeds on bacteria and has no eyes is one of the standout stars of almost 600 unfamiliar and potentially new ocean species identified at NIWA in the past year.

Rare octopus turn up at NIWA

Media Release

3 July 2017

NIWA’s Marine Invertebrate Collection has welcomed two extremely rare octopus that have only just been provisionally identified.

Pollen from NZ may be altering remote deep-sea ecosystems

Media Release

20 April 2017

Pollen from New Zealand pine forests has been shown to travel more than 1500km through wind and ocean currents, and sink thousands of metres into the ocean to reach some of the world’s deepest ecosystems.

Our work

Plankton biodiversity in the Southern Ocean

NIWA is conducting a five–year study to map changes in the distribution of plankton species in surface waters between New Zealand and the Ross Sea.

Latest videos

Ocean acidification—what is it?

The on-going rise of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere is not only changing our climate—it is also changing our oceans. Take a look at the work of the NIWA-led CARIM project into what these changes may mean for the delicate balance of marine life.

Questions and Answers about Salps #3

NIWA Blake Ambassadors Vlog 3: It's bongo time!

18 Nov 2018. NIWA Blake Ambassador—Lana Young—explains how bongo nets are deployed to collect plankton around the clock on board the RV Tangaroa.

NIWA Blake Ambassadors Vlog 3: Fishing for water!

NIWA Blake Ambassadors Vlog 2: Fishing... for water!

7 November 2018. In this Vlog 2 update live from Tangaroa, NIWA Blake Ambassador Siobhan O’Connor shares a typical shift, starting at 2.30am, collecting water samples from different ocean depths which are carefully analysed in the lab.

Perilous puerulus – the epic life of the spiny red rock lobster

Feature story

6 January 2020

Sam Fraser-Baxter heads to the Wairarapa for one of New Zealand’s longest-running marine surveys – counting baby lobster.

Eyeless worm a window into our diverse ocean

Media Release

13 August 2019

A worm that feeds on bacteria and has no eyes is one of the standout stars of almost 600 unfamiliar and potentially new ocean species identified at NIWA in the past year.

Dive deep into NIWA ocean science

21 July 2019 to 9 February 2020

Dive deep into NIWA’s world of ocean science and discovery at Otago Museum’s Beautiful Science Gallery.

Jiggling Jellyfish

An interactive guide to the jellyfish of New Zealand. Version 1.0 (April 2019) is available for download.

Study of octopus beaks reveals rare species of ‘dumbo’ octopus in Antarctic waters

NIWA scientists are using octopus beaks recovered from Antarctic toothfish stomachs by scientific observers to obtain new information on the octopus species eaten by toothfish and their distribution in the Ross Sea.

Adorable Anemones

An interactive guide to the shallow water anemones of New Zealand. Version 1.0 (February 2019) is available for download now!

Ocean acidification—what is it?

Voyage Update 5: sampling rattails and exploring vulnerable coral habitats in the MPA

3 February 2019. By Voyage Leader Dr Richard O'Driscoll.

Voyage Update 3: Phytoplankton producers powering the world

23 January 2019. By Voyage Leader Dr Richard O'Driscoll.

Voyage update: Cape Adare

17 January 2019. By Voyage Leader Dr Richard O'Driscoll.

NIWA Invertebrate Collection

The NIWA Invertebrate Collection (NIC) holds specimens from almost all invertebrate phyla. This is a result of about half a century of marine taxonomic and biodiversity research in the New Zealand region, the South West Pacific and the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

Ross Sea Region Research and Monitoring Programme

The Ross Sea Region Research and Monitoring Programme (Ross-RAMP) is a five-year research programme funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and run by NIWA to evaluate the effectiveness of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area.

Voyage Update 9: Protistan diversity

During the voyage, we collected planktonic protist cells for which DNA will be sequenced for taxonomic identification, but also to understand their physiology through the daily diurnal vertical migration (diel) cycle.

Ross Sea Environment and Ecosystem Voyage 2019

From 8 Jan - 27 Feb 2019 RV Tangaroa is undertaking a six-week research voyage to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. On board scientists, supported by 19 crew members, will be studying ocean, atmosphere and ecosystem processes with the focus on establishing monitoring programmes for the newly created Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area (MPA).