Marine Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in Hawai‘i
Like on land, Hawai‘i’s marine ecosystems face the threat of invasive species – known as aquatic invasive species (AIS).
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Explore/Invertebrate Zoology
Invertebrate Zoology
The only collection in the world devoted solely to marine invertebrates of the Pacific islands, with its primary focus on the Hawaiian Archipelago.
49,000+
Cataloged Lots
Hawai‘i & the Pacific
Regional Focus
100+ Years
Scientific Record in Hawai‘i and the Pacific
Ongoing
Surveys Across Hawai‘i & the Pacific
The collections
The collection houses marine animals spanning Porifera (sponges), Cnidaria (corals, jellies), Crustacea (crabs, lobsters), and Echinodermata (sea stars, urchins). Notable holdings include Hawaiian deep-water invertebrates from emerging volcanoes, submerged ancient coral reefs, and the mesophotic zone; coral reef invertebrates from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument; and comprehensive collections across the Hawaiian Archipelago — the basis for the publication series Reef and Shore Fauna of Hawai‘i.
The collection contains specimens from the earliest scientific expeditions in the region — the Albatross (1888–1910), Tanager and Whippoorwill (1923–1924), and Itasca (1935) — and type specimens described by de Laubenfels (sponges), Vaughan (corals), Hartman and Brock (polychaetes), Devaney (echinoderms), and Edmondson (crustaceans).
How the Invertebrate Zoology collection and the Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity read the genetic code of the Pacific.Open on YouTube
The collections database
Search 48,107 Invertebrate Zoology specimens
Records from 1967 to today, drawn from the Museum’s published data.
ParatypeAlternatipathes alternata
BPBM 1775
C. Kane, H. Ytilo-Ward
Middle Bank
HolotypeCrypthelia kelleyi
BPBM 2339
Chris Kelley
HolotypeAestabdella abditovesiculata
BPBM 139
S.W. Tinker
Hawaiian Islands
ParatypeOahutanais makalii
BPBM 16360
City and County of Honolulu Oceanographic Team
Oʻahu
ParatypeKeratoisididae
BPBM 2764
Molokaʻi
ParatypeKeratoisididae
BPBM 2765
Unknown Region
ParatypeKeratoisididae
BPBM 2766
Molokaʻi
HolotypeHaemadipsa
BPBM 154
E.C. Zimmerman
Ovalau Island, Fiji
Research
10 publications
Papers, reports and books by Invertebrate Zoology staff, with the PDF where there is one — readable in place and open to questions.
All Invertebrate Zoology publications ›2026
Uncovering cryptic coral species in Japan’s precious coral fishery: Conservation and sustainable management implicationsTakata, K., Hayashibara, T., Nonaka, M., Lendvay, B., Tu, T., Costantini, F., Bolick, H., Namikawa, H., Ishikawa, N., Suyama, Y., Kikuchi, T., Iguchi, A., Yasuda, N. · Global Ecology and Conservation
2026
Hidden in Plain Sight: A Novel Symbiotic Haplosclerid Sponge Species Revealed by its Mitochondrial GenomeKhaki, M.A., Vicente, J., Hill, R.T., Lavrov, D.V. · Journal of Evolutionary Biology
2025
Integrative taxonomy of introduced Haplosclerida and three new species of Haliclona sponges from HawaiʻiVicente, J., Rutkowski, E., Lavrov, D.V., Martineau, G., Timmers, M., Toonen, R.J. · Zootaxa
2024
Redescription of Iphione ovata Kinberg, 1856 and confirmation of its Indian Ocean-Eastern Pacific distribution (Annelida, Aphroditiformia, Iphionidae)Piotrowski, C., H. Bolick, L. Harris, G. Paulay, L.F. Carrera-Parra, and S.I. Salazar-Vallejo · Zoosystema
2023
Two new occurrence records for the Hawaiian Islands of invasive octocorals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Malacalcyonacea) reported in Pearl Harbor: Unomia stolonifera (Gohar, 1938) and Capnella cf. spicata (May, 1899)Bolick, H., and K. Lee · Bishop Museum Occasional Papers
2023
Reappraisal of Hawaiian species of Corallianassa Manning, 1987 (Crustacea: Axiidea: Callichiridae)Poore, G.C.B., K. Longenecker, and C.C. Tudge · Zootaxa
From the collection
Research
Watching Hawai‘i’s waters change
The collection provides a chronological history of species in Hawai‘i and continues to document the arrival of alien species to Hawaiian waters. Staff carry out surveys of Hawai‘i’s harbors, monitoring for aquatic invasive species — including an unidentified xeniid octocoral first detected in Pearl Harbor in 2020 — and surveys of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands toward a complete checklist of all marine invertebrates.
View our data
Deeper tools kept by the department itself.
Marine invasive species
HBS: Ecological Recordkeepers
Through the Hawaii Biological Survey at Bishop Museum, a count of the total number of species in the Archipelago has been compiled.
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Pearl Harbor AIS
An unidentified xeniid octocoral was first detected in Pearl Harbor during benthic surveys in 2020.
Learn more ›Department staff
4 people
Jan Vicente
Curator of Marine Invertebrates
jan.vicente@bishopmuseum.org
Holly Bolick
Collections Manager
holly@bishopmuseum.org
Ken Longenecker
Associate Zoologist
klongenecker@bishopmuseum.org
Kiana Lee
Collections Technician I
kiana.lee@bishopmuseum.org
Contact
Marine invertebrates are essential components of ocean ecosystems and reveal environmental change over time. The collection supports conservation, invasive species detection, and biological monitoring across Hawai‘i and the Pacific.
holly@bishopmuseum.orgBe a part of our story
Celebrate the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific with a gift to Bishop Museum. As a partner in the Museum’s work, you help sustain the collections, the research and the knowledge behind every record on this site.
