Marine Invertebrates

Latest news

Rare octopus turn up at NIWA

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.

Scientists find new species during Kermadecs research voyage

Media Release

14 February 2017

A voyage to the Kermadec Islands has resulted in the discovery of many species either new to science or not previously found in the area.

Bountiful Bryozoans

12 December 2016

A new fully illustrated electronic identification guide, Bountiful Bryozoans, has just been released to help people identify this group of marine creatures in the wild.

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.

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).

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.

Voyage Update 7: Bongo-Bongo – and we hit 100!

16 November 2018. By Voyage Leader Dr Moira Decima.

Voyage Update 6: Thetys vagina – Giant of the salps and colossal pooper

13 November 2018. By Voyage Leader Dr Moira Decima.

Voyage Update 5: Salp parasites and micropredators

10 November 2018. By Voyage Leader Dr Moira Decima.

Voyage Update 4: Phytoplankton–the base of the food chain!

8 November 2018. By Voyage Leader Dr Moira Decima.

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

Timelapse from RV Tangaroa cutaway 12 hours

Timelapse: Different nets for different depths

27 October 2018. The NIWA Blake Ambassadors shoot a 12 hour time lapse from the cutaway deck on the RV Tangaroa.

Voyage Update 3: It’s a salp world out there

4 November 2018. By Voyage Leader Dr Moira Decima.

Voyage Update 2: Salp Cycle 1 is going well…

30 October 2018. By Voyage Leader Dr Moira Decima.

NIWA Blake Ambassadors Vlog 1: Sampling salps 24/7

26 October 2018. NIWA Blake Ambassadors, Lana Young and Siobhan O'Connor and SalpPOOP voyage leader Dr Moira Decima check out sampled salps from different depths.

Voyage Update: Cycle 1 begins!

25 October 2018. By Voyage Leader Dr Moira Decima.

NIWA/Blake Ambassadors Blog 1

24 October 2018: NIWA Blake Ambassadors Lana Young and Siobhan O'Connor report back

The Year of the Salps project

Students at Leigh School have been working with marine scientists and the 'Year of the Salps' project partners to learn how to count sea salps, understand salp life cycle phases and the importance of salps in marine ecosystems and their carbon-cycling effects on climate change.

TAN1810 Voyage partners, collaborators and funders

Who is involved in the TAN1810 SalPOOP voyage?

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