Ecology of Southern New Zealand Exposed Rocky Shore at Little Papanui, Otago Peninsula By E J. Batham Portobello Marine Biological Station, University of Otago. [Read by title and abstract before Otago Branch on September 11, 1956; received by Editor September 9, 1956.] At Little Papanui Beach there are 4 to 5 tiers of simultaneously breaking waves during calm weather, more during rough. The region is cold temperate, inshore surface sea temperatures nearly always lying between 8° C. and 16° C. The rocky shore supralittorally shows abundant Melarhaphe cincta, scattered M. oliveri. Midlittorally, the balanoids Chamaesipho columna and Elminius plicatus and the mussels Modiolus neozelanicus and Mytilus planulatus variously dominate; except on south-facing surge-exposed cliffs, where the covering is of encrusting coralline alga. Bostrychia arbuscula is abundant on S-facing, strongly wave-exposed rocks. Sublittorally, usually the giant fucoid kelps Durvillea antarctica and D. willana co-dominate with Mytilus canaliculus. Where topography prevents full wave exposure, Durvillea is replaced by Xiphophora and Lessonia. As compared with a sheltered harbour shore nearby, vertical ranges of most commoner species are greatly increased on this continuously wave-exposed shore. Introduction A study of the ecology of a harbour rocky shore near the Portobello Marine Station (Batham, in press) made desirable a comparative study of a continuously wave-exposed shore at the same latitude. The region selected was Little Papanui, on the outermost tip of Otago Peninsula. Little Papanui was visited approximately monthly, at spring tides, for a year from 3.8.53; and thereafter at less regular intervals. During this period, various other N.Z. rocky shores have been examined as opportunity offered. The beach at Little Papanui is an attractive one for the biologist. It lacks road access and no one lives there, although Maori artefacts by the south stream indicate past habitation. Yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) breed in scrub on slopes above the shore, and small colonies of seals live on the rocks. Accounts have been published by other N.Z.workers of various North Island shores (e.g; Cranwell and Moore, 1938; Chapman, 1950; Carnehan, 1952; Trevarthen. 1954; Dellow, 1955) and of that at Taylor's Mistake, near Christchurch (Knox, 1952). Prior to this was Oliver's more general account, in which some references to Little Papanui (which he calls Maori Papanui Beach) are given (Oliver, 1923). In the present paper, nomenclature of molluscs follows Powell (1946); of seaweeds, Naylor (1954); of sessile barnacles, Moore (1944); of anemones, Parry (1951 and 1952). Acknowledgments This study has been carried out while the writer has been holding Nuffield and N.Z.U. Research Grants which she gratefully acknowledges. Systematic workers to whom the writer is indebted for identifications include Miss B. I. Brewin (ascidians), Dr. D. A. Brown (Bryozoa), Mr. R. Dell (molluscs),