“…The most distinct ecoregion was the Bonaparte Coast, which exhibited many unique species. The Kimberley region, part of this ecoregion, is reported to have many endemic species, including Pisces (55 species) (Moore et al, 2014), Crustacea (82 species) (Hosie et al, 2015), Echinodermata (39 species) (Sampey & Marsh, 2015), Mollusca (80 species) (ter Poorten et al, 2017;Willan et al, 2015), Annelida, Polychaeta (24 species) (Hutchings et al, 2014), Rhodophyta (two species) and Phaeophyceae (one species) (Huisman & Sampey, 2014). The present study also supports recognition of the broader, Central Indo-Pacific Realm, which includes the Bonaparte Coast, as a marine biodiversity hotspot (Bowen et al, 2013;Miller et al, 2018;Ramírez et al, 2017) and a centre of endemicity (Reaka et al, 2008;Roberts et al, 2002;Veron et al, 2015;Wilson & Kirkendale, 2016).…”