Citizens Of The Sea report: Tonga EEZ

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The CitSea Interactive Reports allow you to explore offshore biodiversity results from environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. At the top of each site report, headline indicators summarise what was detected, including the number of kingdoms, ASVs (amplicon sequence variants), families, and species.

Use the navigation tabs to switch between different views:

Sampling Map shows where samples were collected;

Species Gallery provides a visual look at taxa detected;

Taxa Table lists results in a searchable format;

Diversity tab display richness and diversity indices;

AI-based Summary highlights key findings;

NIS and HABs tab flags non-indigenous species and species that have the potential to form harmful algal blooms; and

Marine Vertebrates tab highlights locations where marine vertebrates were detected.

Interactive maps let you zoom in on specific sites, and hovering over a marker reveals metadata for that location. Sample ID numbers can be input into the Taxa Table to explore taxa detected at specific locations. Each dataset is linked with metadata and reference databases to ensure transparency and scientific value.

Note on Contamination and Filtering:

Because eDNA is highly sensitive, sequences from terrestrial organisms (e.g., humans, land mammals, or laboratory contaminants) can sometimes appear in the results. Since CitSea samples are collected exclusively from seawater, any detections that were found in the negative controls, and those of clearly non-marine taxa have been carefully documented and then filtered out of the dataset before results are displayed. This ensures that the dashboard reflects only genuine marine biodiversity signals while maintaining transparency about data quality.

Glossary

ASV (Amplicon Sequence Variant)

An ASV is a unique DNA sequence identified from high-throughput sequencing of environmental samples. ASVs provide fine-scale resolution of biodiversity, capturing exact genetic variants rather than grouped clusters. The total number of ASVs reflects overall genetic diversity detected.

Kingdoms

The highest level of biological classification (e.g., animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, archaea). Detecting multiple kingdoms shows the broad range of life captured in eDNA samples.

Families

A mid-level taxonomic category used to group related organisms (e.g., whales belong to the family Balaenopteridae). Counting families detected helps show how many different evolutionary lineages were present in the samples.

Species

The basic unit of biological classification. Species detection indicates specific organisms that can be identified from eDNA, though not all ASVs can be confidently resolved to species level.

Taxa

A general term for groups of organisms classified together at any rank in the biological hierarchy, such as species, families, or kingdoms. In the CitSea dashboard, “taxa” refers broadly to the different biological groups detected in eDNA samples.

HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms)

Certain algae can grow rapidly under favourable conditions, producing toxins or depleting oxygen in the water. These blooms can threaten marine ecosystems, fisheries, and human health. The dashboard highlights eDNA detections of ASVs that were taxonomically assigned to species known to cause HABs, reported in the IOC-UNESCO Taxonomic Reference List of Harmful Micro Algae (https://www.marinespecies.org/hab/).

NIS (Non-Indigenous Species)

Species that occur outside their natural range, often introduced by shipping, aquaculture, or other human activity. Some NIS can become invasive, outcompeting local species and disrupting ecosystems. The dashboard flags detections of known or potential NIS.

Kingdoms detected

7

Number of ASVs

9974

Families detected

379

Species detected

470

Map showing sampling locations as part of the 2024 Pacific Island Cruising Rally. Recreational sailors were equipped and trained to collect daily eDNA samples (in triplicate) during their offshore passages.

Map Tiles via Esri — National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, UNEP-WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, iPC.

We display every species we detected here, sorted by IUCN Red List status. The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. DD: Data deficient. LC: Least Concern. VU: Vulnerable. EN: Endangered. CR: Critically endangered.

Click on the image to open the relevant Atlas of Living Australia page.

From these samples we detected no species listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered, no as Endangered, no as Vulnerable, no as Near Threatened, one as Data Deficient, nine as Least Concern, and 370 species that have not yet been assessed by the IUCN.

IUCN Data Deficient species

Thunnus tonggol
Figure 1: Data Deficient species

IUCN Least Concern species

Hipposcarus longiceps

Kyphosus cinerascens

Kyphosus vaigiensis

Lethrinus obsoletus

Retropinna retropinna

Salmo trutta

Scomber scombrus

Thunnus albacares
Figure 2: Least Concern species

Not pictured: Encrasicholina punctifer.

Species not assessed by IUCN

Abylopsis tetragona

Aglaura hemistoma

Calocalanus pavo

Cerebratulus lacteus

Cerithium egenum

Cerithium rostratum

Cestum veneris

Cliona celata

Clypeomorus brevis

Creseis clava

Creseis virgula

Doliolum denticulatum

Haeckelia rubra

Liriope tetraphylla

Littorina littorea

Monetaria annulus

Oikopleura dioica

Ophiocoma echinata

Paracalanus parvus

Poecilochaetus serpens

Prostheceraeus vittatus

Protatlanta souleyeti

Sapphirina darwinii

Septifer bilocularis

Solmundella bitentaculata

Temora turbinata
Figure 3: Not Assessed species

Not pictured: Cosmocalanus darwinii, Alteromonas, Oithona similis, Miracia efferata, Macrosetella gracilis, Calocalanus curtus, Prochlorococcus MIT9313 marinus, Crocosphaera watsonii, Acartia negligens, Pseudoalteromonas, Halomonas, Clytia hummelincki, Algicola bacteriolytica, Trichodesmium IMS101 erythraeum, Photobacterium, Fabibacter misakiensis, Richelia HH01 intracellularis, Acrocalanus gracilis, Heliconoides inflatus, Staphylococcus, Clausocalanus furcatus, Nisaea nitritireducens, Penicillium rubens, Vibrio, Trichodesmium IMS101 havanum, Megalocercus huxleyi, Achromobacter, Corynebacterium accolens, Tenacibaculum litopenaei, Idiomarina, Pontella fera, Chloropicon sieburthii, Pseudoalteromonas phenolica, Lactococcus, Trichodesmium IMS101 thiebautii, Zoothamnium pelagicum, Spirotontonia grandis, Nanozoanthus harenaceus, Eutintinnus fraknoi, Temora discaudata, Vibrio fortis, Paracalanus indicus, Eutintinnus apertus, Phaeocystis globosa, Pseudomonas, Rhabdonella poculum, Micromonas pusilla, Abylopsis eschscholtzii, Calocalanus plumulosus, Paracalanus nanus, Apiospora arundinis, Undinula vulgaris, Ferosagitta robusta, Chloropicon laureae, Labrenzia marina, Climacocylis scalaroides, Euplotes nobilii, Moneuplotes minuta, Sinistrostrombidium cupiformum, Labrenzia alexandrii, Photobacterium angustum, Sapphirina opalina, Amphorellopsis quinquealata, Lensia campanella, Kocuria, Eutintinnus perminutus, Photobacterium leiognathi, Acrocalanus monachus, Sapphirina scarlata, Halomonas meridiana, Clausocalanus parapergens, Mecynocera clausi, Clausocalanus paululus, Euchaeta marina, Haloptilus longicornis, Paracalanus denudatus, Pontellina plumata, Clausocalanus arcuicornis, Subeucalanus subcrassus, Strombidinopsis acuminata, Clausocalanus jobei, Halomonas aquamarina, Shimia marina, Paracalanus tropicus, Oncaea waldemari, Cephalothrix filiformis, Clausocalanus pergens, Centropages violaceus, Pareucalanus attenuatus, Cobetia, Farranula gibbula, Mesonia mobilis, Grimontia indica, Pelagibius litoralis, Sphingomonas panni, Centropages furcatus, Alcanivorax venustensis, Paracalanus aculeatus, Sphaeronectes koellikeri, Eutintinnus medius, Vibrio caribbeanicus, Alteromonas genovensis, Psychrobacter, Pseudoscourfieldia marina, Cedecea neteri, Psychrobacter celer, Thalia democratica, Cutibacterium, Erythrobacter, Eucalanus pseudattenuatus, Vibrio azureus, Tenacibaculum, Marinobacter, Calocalanus minutus, Doliolum nationalis, Trichodesmium IMS101 contortum, Pleuromamma scutullata, Calocalanus styliremis, Ctenocalanus vanus, Psychrobacter piscatorii, Parallelostrombidium conicum, Chloropicon roscoffensis, Tropicibacter phthalicicus, Marinobacter manganoxydans, Thalassobius mediterraneus, Vibrio harveyi, Copilia mirabilis, Candacia simplex, Chloroparvula japonica, Candacia truncata, Pycnococcus provasolii, Lucicutia flavicornis, Brevundimonas, Shimia, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus, Streptococcus, Strombidium cf. basimorphum, Nanomia bijuga, Carnobacterium, Enhydrobacter aerosaccus, Pachos punctatum, Vibrio sagamiensis, Planktotalea frisia, Dermacoccus, Clostridium sensu stricto 1, Oncaea scottodicarloi, Gilvibacter sediminis, Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea, Pseudoalteromonas marina, Vampyrophrya pelagica, Paracalanus aff. denudatus PA0053.MED, Salpingacantha undata, Cyclotrichium cyclokaryon, Clausocalanus farrani, Firoloida desmarestia, Acrocalanus longicornis, Scolecithricella longispinosa, Oikopleura parva, Oikopleura fusiformis, Oncaea mediterranea, Sulfitobacter dubius, Maribacter, Polaribacter dokdonensis, Halomonas taeanensis, Alteromonas hispanica, Idiomarina baltica, Dokdonia genika, Salinicola salarius, Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii, Vibrio pomeroyi, Dolosigranulum pigrum, Chromohalobacter canadensis, Vibrio chagasii, Joostella marina, Chryseobacterium hominis, Dokdonia, Acinetobacter, Corynebacterium, Thalassotalea coralli, Salinicola, Oncaea media, Paracoccus oceanense, Photobacterium rosenbergii, Clausocalanus minor, Oithona attenuata, Chloropicon primus, Clytia gracilis, Alteromonas australica, Pantachogon haeckeli, Creseis conica, Emiliania huxleyi, Aidanosagitta regularis, Shewanella, Pinctada maculata, Rosacea flaccida, Hyalophysa lwoffi, Iridona iridescens, Idiomarina loihiensis, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Oikopleura albicans, Euchaeta rimana, Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata, Chaetoceros rostratus, Phaeocystis cordata, Vibrio coralliilyticus, Ruegeria, Cycloclasticus, Syracosphaera pulchra, Epiplocyloides ralumensis, Grimontia, Alteromonas macleodii, Gephyrocapsa parvula, Canthocalanus pauper, Minutocellus polymorphus, Microbulbifer, Labrenzia, Canuella perplexa, Lentilitoribacter donghaensis, Stenosemella nivalis, Glossobalanus minutus, Vibrio ishigakensis, Aureitalea marina, Pseudo-nitzschia cuspidata, Malleus albus, Vibrio aestivus, Paraplanocera oligoglena, Notoplana australis, Oithona simplex, Vibrio nigripulchritudo, Persicobacter diffluens, Catinia plana, Paracalanus gracilis, Shewanella corallii, Chrysopetalum debile, Halomonas sulfidaeris, Romboutsia sedimentorum, Photobacterium damselae, Botryllus planus, Colwellia meonggei, Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata, Shewanella olleyana, Bolinopsis aff. vitrea SBJ-2021, Lactococcus piscium, Erwinia, Nonlabens, Herminiimonas, Leeuwenhoekiella, Pseudomonas pachastrellae, Pseudochrobactrum kiredjianiae, Flavobacterium johnsoniae, Vagococcus salmoninarum, Shewanella baltica, Marinomonas communis, Lactococcus raffinolactis, Janthinobacterium, Pseudoalteromonas ruthenica, Acinetobacter johnsonii, Oleibacter marinus, Sphingobacterium faecium, Thalassospira, Shewanella putrefaciens, Mesoflavibacter sabulilitoris, Flavobacterium tegetincola, Aeromonas, Muricauda, Oceanicaulis stylophorae, Pseudomonas lurida, Roseivirga spongicola, Bermanella marisrubri, Flavobacterium, Chaetoceros elegans, Chromohalobacter, Comamonas jiangduensis, Leuconostoc, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Penicillium citrinum, Sphingobacterium, Trichococcus, Psychrobacter fozii, Psychrobacter maritimus, Polyophthalmus pictus, Sulfitobacter, Sphingomonas, Rhodococcus, Terrisporobacter mayombei, Pseudochrobactrum, Aquimarina litoralis, Sphingobacterium nematocida, Moheibacter sediminis, Thalassotalea agarivorans, Thalassotalea loyana, Alcaligenes, Ruegeria profundi, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Marinobacterium stanieri, Wukongibacter baidiensis, Advenella, Agrobacterium, Sanguibacter, Vibrio diabolicus, Kaistia, Vibrio panuliri, Microbacterium, Flammeovirga aprica, Atelocyanobacterium (UCYN-A) thalassa, Armandia bilobata, Enterobacter, Bestiolina similis, Photobacterium aphoticum, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Ferrimonas marina, Braarudosphaera bigelowii, Raoultella planticola, Microbulbifer variabilis, Praxillella affinis, Vibrio alginolyticus, Psychrobacter marincola, Eunice notata, Microbulbifer agarilyticus, Aurospio foodbancsia, Serratia, Erwinia rhapontici, Rahnella aquatilis, Sphingobacterium tabacisoli, Raoultella, Candida metapsilosis, Ewingella americana, Clytia noliformis, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Granulicatella, Gari maculosa, Flammeovirga yaeyamensis, Paracoccus, Actinomyces, Owenia fusiformis, Micrococcus, Prymnesium polylepis, Brachybacterium, Tenacibaculum amylolyticum, Xystonella longicauda, Lynnella semiglobulosa, Euphausia vallentini, Gemella, Curtobacterium.

Images have been sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

We compare pieces of DNA sampled from the environment with a reference database. This table lists every species we detected, along with how closely the DNA we found matches known species in the reference database. For each species we list the IUCN Red List status. The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. DD: Data deficient. LC: Least Concern. VU: Vulnerable. EN: Endangered. CR: Critically endangered.

Table of detected taxa