Spatial and temporal distribution of fish in Palmas bay, Ubatuba, Brazil

Abstract

A B S T R A C TThe aim of this study was to analyze the distribution and abundance of the fish fauna of Palmas bay on Anchieta Island in southeastern Brazil. Specimens were caught in the summer and winter of 1992, using an otter trawl at three locations in the bay. The specimens were caught in both the nighttime and daytime. Data on the water temperature and salinity were recorded for the characterization of the predominant water mass in the region, and sediment samples were taken for granulometric analysis. A total of 7 656 specimens (79 species), with a total weight of approximately 300 kg, were recorded. The most abundant species were Eucinostomus argenteus, Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus, Haemulon steindachneri, Eucinostomus gula and Diapterus rhombeus, which together accounted for more than 73% of the sample. In general, the ecological indices showed no differences in the composition of species for the abiotic variables analyzed. The multivariate analysis showed that the variations in the distribution of the fish fauna were mainly associated with intra-annual differences in temperature and salinity, resulting from the presence of South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) in the area during the summer. The analysis also showed an association with the type of bottom and a lesser association with respect to the night/day periods. R E S U M OEste estudo teve como objetivo analisar a composição e a abundância da fauna de peixes provenientes da enseada Palmas em Ubatuba, costa sudeste do Brasil. Os espécimes foram obtidos no verão e no inverno de 1992, utilizando-se uma rede de arrasto de fundo em três locais da enseada. Os arrastos foram realizados no período noturno e no período diurno. Foram obtidos dados de temperatura e salinidade da água para caracterização da massa de água predominante na região e amostras do sedimento para análise granulométrica. Foram capturadas 79 espécies de Actinopterygii, representadas por 7 656 indivíduos com peso total aproximado de 300 kg. As espécies mais abundantes foram Eucinostomus argenteus, Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus, Haemulon steindachneri, Eucinostomus gula e Diapterus rhombeus e representaram mais de 73% da amostra. Os índices ecológicos utilizados, de uma maneira geral, não mostraram diferenças na composição das espécies quanto às variáveis abióticas analisadas. A análise multivariada empregada mostrou que as variações encontradas na distribuição da fauna de peixes foram associadas principalmente às diferenças intraanuais de temperatura e salinidade, relacionadas à presença da Água Central do Atlântico Sul no verão na área de estudo. A análise também mostrou uma associação em relação ao tipo de fundo e uma menor associação em relação aos períodos do ciclo noite/dia.

Long-term variation in the ichthyofauna of Flamengo Cove, Ubatuba, São Paulo

“…Araújo et al (2006) described a marked spatial repartition among sciaenid species in the Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, and found that Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus was associated with the outer zone of the bay where depth and transparency are higher, factors associated with more pronounced marine influences. A seasonal repartition of Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus was also registered by several authors studying areas near the one covered herein, and the species was interpreted as being associated with warmer waters, being present in great numbers near the shore during summer (Rossi-Wongtschowski & Paes, 1993;Rocha & Rossi-Wongtschowski, 1998;Rocha et al, 2010), in accordance with the high abundance of this species at Flamengo Cove in the spring presented herein.…”

“…Rocha & Rossi-Wongtschowski (1998) also studied the ichthyofauna off the coast of Ubatuba and Caraguatatuba and found similar results, with Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus and Paralonchurus brasiliensis as the most abundant species. More recently, Rocha et al (2010) investigated the ichthyofauna of Palmas Bay, off the Anchieta Island, a region close to Flamengo Cove. They reported that five species composed more than 73% of their samples, with Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus as one of the most important in number of individuals in addition to three gerreids and one haemulid.…”

“…Ubatuba is a city in the northern coast of São Paulo State, a place where marine fishes have been studied for decades and although several works regarding marine fish ecology were conducted off the coast of Ubatuba (e.g., Nonato et al, 1983;Braga & Goitein, 1984;Rossi-Wongtschowski & Paes, 1993;Cunningham, 1995;Giannini & Paiva Filho, 1995;Rocha & Rossi-Wongtschowski, 1998;Soares & Vazzoler, 2001;Vianna et al, 2004;Souza et al, 2008;Rocha et al, 2010;Gondolo et al, 2011), none of them dealt with long-term variation of ecological parameters in the southeastern region of Brazil. In addition, as stated by Rossi-Wongtschowski et al (2009) and Menezes (2011), although the marine fishes off the coast of São Paulo are relatively well known in relation to the rest of the Brazilian coast, much is yet to be done concerning our knowledge of these organisms.…”

Spatial–temporal variation of Paralonchurus brasiliensis (Actinopterygii: Sciaenidae) density in relation to some environmental factors on the inner shelf of south-eastern Brazilian coast

“…Influence of the SACW on the spatial -temporal distribution of fish, including the sciaenid species, was observed by Rocha et al (2010) in shallow waters in Palmas Bay, Ubatuba. However, the multiple regression analysis indicated the temperature as a significant factor only for the Ubatuba region, probably due to the fact that this region is more exposed than Caraguatatuba which reflects in an intense action of water masses such as SACW.…”

Reef fishes of the Anchieta Island State Park, Southwestern Atlantic, Brazil

“…Cunningham 1983, Nonato et al 1983, Braga & Goitein 1984, Rocha et al 2010). Only two reef fish assessments were carried out in the vicinity of the Anchieta Island State Park (AISP), the protected area focused by the present study.…”