Abstract
Every year, various species of juvenile reef fishes from tropical and warm temperate populations are carried by currents to the temperate northern coast of Kyushu, southwestern Japan. There, they settle on to rocky reefs but usually fail to survive cold sea temperatures brought on by winter. The purpose of this study was to determine the species composition of tropical and warm temperate fishes that settled annually at Tsuyazaki, Fukuoka Prefecture (33° 47'N, 130° 29'E) and to determine their pattern of occurrence in 19 of 37 years between 1964-2000. The total number of species recorded ranged between 7-19 species annually. Among these, seven species were recorded each year while 1-12 species occurred sporadically. The largest number of species, 12, was recorded in the year 2000. One species, Parapercis snyderi (Pinguipedidae), that first appeared in 1988, has been able to survive winter sea temperature and reproduce successfully. Three other species that occur regularly survived winter of 1999-2000, as well. The pattern of settlement of these fishes at Tsuyazaki appear to related to a rise in sea water temperature in recent years.
