An update to the inventory of shore-fishes from the Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano, Veracruz, México

Abstract

Data on marine and brackish-water fishes recorded in the area of the Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano in the southwest Gulf of Mexico were extracted from online aggregators of georeferenced location records, the recent ichthyological literature reviewed, and collections and observations made to provide a more complete faunal inventory for that park. Those actions added 95 species to a comprehensive inventory published in 2013, and brought the total to 472 species, an increase of 22%. Seventy-four percent of the additions came from online aggregators of georeferenced species records, which clearly demonstrates the value of reviewing and incorporating such data into species inventories. However, different aggregators recorded different sets of species, and some of their data were linked to outdated taxonomy or included identification errors. Hence individual records from multiple aggregators need to be obtained and reviewed for such issues when using such data to compile and revise faunal inventories. Existing lists also need to be carefully reviewed to ensure that errors are not perpetuated during updates.

Validating the presence of Spanish Flag, Gonioplectrus hispanus (Cuvier, 1828) (Perciformes, Serranidae), from the south-western Gulf of Mexico

“…Bullock and Smith (1991) reported this species in the north-western Atlantic, and in Mexico, it has been detected in the southern Gulf of Mexico, between Laguna de Términos and the Yucatán Peninsula, although the location was not specified (Lara-Domínguez et al 1993). Despite recent ichthyofaunal surveys in reef areas in the south-eastern Gulf of Mexico and on the Yucatán continental shelf, G. hispanus has not been detected (Colás-Marrufo et al 1998;Robertson et al 2019;González-Gandara 2020). Its occurrence in Punta Puntilla is probably due to the dispersal of larvae, which influences the presence of adults on coral reefs.…”

Fish and Fisheries of the Eastern Coast of Mexico, with Emphasis on Coral Reef Species

“…The ichthyofaunal components of near-shore reef structures may be influenced by the fauna that inhabit freshwater or estuarine systems. Reefs of central Veracruz that are very close to the mouths of the Jamapa and La Antigua rivers have typically estuarine species, such as: B. veraecrucis [54]. This connection is also observed in Tamiahua Lagoon, Veracruz and Términos Lagoon, Campeche, where typical reef fish species like Aluterus schoepfii and Stephanolepis hispidus have been detected respectively [64,65].…”

“…For example, in Veracruz, species that normally inhabit estuarine areas (e.g. Bairdiella veraecrucis) have been recorded in the proximity of the reefs located near the coast [54]. Published data for the reefs of the southern Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean [2, 4, 6-13, 32, 33, 38, 50-56] reveal that the families with the highest species richness are: Serranidae, Gobiidae, Carangidae, and Labrisomidae ( Table 2).…”

First record of the cryptic fishes Ptereleotris calliura (Gobiidae) and Liopropoma rubre (Serranidae) in the Veracruz Reef System, Mexico

“…Although interest in the ecology of the VRS has increased in the past decades (Granados-Barba et al 2007), the reefs making up this system have been little explored in comparison with those in the northern Gulf of Mexico and Greater Caribbean. Currently the VRS fish assemblage includes 477 species (del Moral-Flores et al 2013, 2020Robertson et al 2019), including 3 invasive species: the lionfish Pterois sp. (Santander-Monsalvo et al 2012), the damselfish Neopomacentrus cyanomos (González-Gándara and de la Cruz-Francisco 2014), and the tube blenny Protemblemaria punctata (Argüelles-Jiménez et al 2021).…”

“…Aunque el interés sobre la ecología del SAV ha incrementado en las últimas décadas (Granados-Barba et al 2007), los arrecifes que lo comprenden han sido poco explorados en comparación con aquellos en el norte del golfo de México y el Gran Caribe. Actualmente, la comunidad de peces marinos arrecifales en el SAV incluye 477 especies (del Moral-Flores et al 2013, 2020Robertson et al 2019), de las cuales 3 son especies invasoras: el pez león Pterois sp. (Santander-Monsalvo et al 2012), la damisela Neopomacentrus cyanomos (González-Gándara y de la Cruz-Francisco 2014) y el tubícola Protemblemaria punctata (Argüelles-Jiménez et al 2021).…”