A new record of a second seagrass species from the Hawaiian archipelago: Halophila decipiens Ostenfeld

Halophila decipiens Ostenfeld, a new record for the Hawaiian Islands, was collected from three locations spanning the archipelago: Midway Atoll at 3–15m deep, O’ahu Island at 1–2m deep, and Hawai’i Island at 40m deep. These findings expand the biogeographical distribution of this pantropical seagrass into the north central Pacific Ocean. Specimens showed morphological, reproductive and DNA characteristics typical of the species.