Preliminary survey and diet analysis of seagrass bed fishes at Mauritius, western Indian Ocean

Abstract

Fish faunas and diets were examined in Halodule uninervis-and Syringodium isoetifolium-dominated seagrass beds at Mauritius, western Indian Ocean, in March 2002. A total of 37 fish species (representing 16 families) were collected, 26 (14 families) of them occurring in the H. uninervis-bed and 26 (13 families) in the S. isoetifolium-bed, with 15 (10 families) common to both beds. Fishes were mainly juveniles, dominant families with regard to both species and individual numbers being Apogonidae, Mullidae, Labridae, Scaridae and Gobiidae. Zoobenthivores comprised the most dominant feeding type in both seagrass beds, harpacticoid copepods and gammaridean amphipods being the most important food resources for those fishes.

Co-occurrence of seagrass vegetation and coral colonies supports unique fish assemblages: a microhabitat-scale perspective

“…The maximum total length of this species is over 30 cm ( Nanami et al, 2010 ; Taylor et al, 2018 ), so the individuals found at SGCO were likely newly-settled juveniles. Since harpacticoid copepods and small benthic animals are the main food sources consumed by O. ishigakiensis and newly-settled L. gibbus juveniles ( Nakamura et al, 2003 , 2006 ; A. Nanami, 2008, pers. comm.…”

Plicidentine in the oral fangs of parrotfish (Scarinae, Labriformes)

“…Scarines are currently divided into the two tribes: Sparisomatini and Scarini (Baliga & Law, 2016; Schultz, 1958; Smith et al, 2008; Streelman et al, 2002). The tribe Sparisomatini (Figure 1a) includes the genera Leptoscarus , Calotomus , Nicholsina , Cryptotomus , and Sparisoma , which are generally associated with herbal reef environments as they feed primarily on marine angiosperms or macroalgae (Bellwood, 1994; McClanahan et al, 1999; Nakamura et al, 2006), except for some species of the genus Sparisoma (Bellwood, 1994; Bernardi et al, 2000). In contrast, the tribe Scarini (Figure 1a) includes the genera Cetoscarus , Bolbometopon , Hipposcarus , Scarus , and Chlorurus , which feed on hard substrates, including dead corals and rubbles (Bellwood & Choat, 1990; Bonaldo et al, 2014).…”

First field observation of a Thalassodendron ciliatum bed on the Nazareth Bank, Mascarene Plateau

“…There are about 60 species of seagrasses worldwide and 13 species are known to occur in the Western Indian Ocean (Gullstrom et al, 2002), making up an important habitat in coastal waters (Gullstrom et al, 2002;Duarte et al, 2012). While it has been reported that 5 seagrass species prevail in Mauritian waters ( Jagtap, 1993), very few studies have been carried out on seagrasses and their associated organisms (Paupiah et al, 2000;Daby, 2003;Nakamura et al, 2006;Ramah et al, 2014), and even less on their occurrence on distant fishing banks, creating a significant knowl- One of the very important services that seagrass beds provide, besides being important as nursery grounds for fish and other juvenile benthic organisms, is its blue carbon storage capacity. While seagrasses have been recognised for their carbon sequestration capacity since the 1980s (Smith, 1981), this topic has received very little attention until recently where they have been recognised as a blue carbon ecosystem that could potentially contribution in addressing climate change impacts (Duarte et al, 2005(Duarte et al, , 2013Mcleod et al, 2011;Fourqurean et al, 2012;Gullstrom et al, 2018;Bedulli et al, 2020).…”