have the highest reef fish
species-area richness while the VR and SP had
significantly lower species-area richness (Fig. 3).
The lower species richness counts in the VR occur
despite this region has, by far, the greatest number of
MPAs and a very high percentage of transects were
completed in close proximity to MPAs (Table 1). The
significantly lower species-area richness on the
Pacific side (NP and SP) as compared to the western
side (SCS and SS) is consistent with historical
distribution evidence (Fig. 1) and the general findings
that species richness declines eastward and westward
from the Coral Triangle