Patterns of spatial distribution of five species of mojarras (Actinopterygii: Gerreidae) in a small tropical estuary in south-eastern Brazil

Abstract

Patterns of spatial distribution of five species of mojarras (Actinopterygii: Gerreidae) in a small tropical estuary in south-eastern Brazil taynara pontes franco, leonardo mitrano neves, tatiana pires teixeira and francisco gerson arau ' joThe spatial patterns of distribution of five species of the Gerreidae (Diapterus rhombeus, Eucinostomus argenteus, Eucinostomus gula, Eucinostomus melanopterus and Eugerres brasilianus) in Mambucaba estuary, south-eastern Brazil, were determined to assess habitat partitioning of the estuarine reaches. Sampling was conducted between October 2007 and August 2008. Diapterus rhombeus and E. gula were exclusively found in the lower estuary, whereas E. melanopterus and E. brasilianus were exclusively found from the middle estuary. Eucinostomus argenteus was common in the two estuarine zones. Total length and total weight data showed that the smallest individuals of D. rhombeus and E. gula were found near to the estuarine mouth compared with deeper areas of high salinity and lesser influence of the estuarine plume. The smallest individuals of E. argenteus, E. brasilianus and E. melanopterus were found in a protected estuarine lagoon connected to the main estuarine channel, and the largest in the other sites in the main channel of the middle estuary. Spatial partition seems to be the strategy developed by the 5 members of the Gerreidae family to coexist in the Mambucaba estuary, which may be attributed to competition in the past between the species of Gerreidae or to differentiated tolerance to environmental constraints

Feeding ecology of three juvenile mojarras (Gerreidae) in a tropical estuary of northeastern Brazil

“…This spatial separation is critical to the maintenance of mojarra populations, because different habitats influence abundance, growth, reproduction, recruitment and survival (Hajisamae et al, 2006). Similar spatial dynamics were reported for gerreids in tropical estuaries by Franco et al (2012) and Ramos et al (2014). Several studies in tropical areas have reported intrinsic changes in habitat preferences by juvenile fishes in response to local prey availability, predation risk and abiotic conditions (Gibson et al, 1998;Martino & Able, 2003;Johnston et al, 2007;Costa et al, 2012).…”

Distribution and feeding ecology of three juvenile mojarras in a hypersaline tropical estuary in Northeastern Brazil

“…), a positive tropical estuary (Teixeira & Helmer ; Franco et al . ) and in coastal lagoons (Andreata et al . , ; Rueda ).…”

“…The high abundance and distribution of this family in tropical and subtropical estuaries makes Gerreidae a good model with which to attempt to understand what drives patterns of spatial distribution in estuaries (Franco et al . ).…”

“…They are characterized by very protractile jaws (Fischer & Bianchi 1984) and are represented by small fishes forming dense schools occurring mainly in estuaries, tropical and subtropical coastal lagoons (Ara ujo & Santos 1999;Denadai et al 2012), as well as seagrass beds, tidal creeks and even in fresh water (Fischer & Bianchi 1984;Ramos et al 2011). The high abundance and distribution of this family in tropical and subtropical estuaries makes Gerreidae a good model with which to attempt to understand what drives patterns of spatial distribution in estuaries (Franco et al 2012).…”

Changes in tissue composition in Brazilian mojarraEugerres brasilianus(Cuvier, 1830) females at different stages of gonadal development as a starting point for development of broodstock diets

“…This species is particularly abundant in coastal lagoons in Mexico, Brazil and Cuba, where its capture in artisanal fisheries has an important socioeconomic role (Menezes and Figueiredo, ; Alvarez‐Lajonchère et al., ). Because of its euryhalinity (Eskinazi, ; Franco et al., ), omnivory (Menezes and Figueiredo, ) and high demand in local markets (Bezerra et al., ), E. brasilianus shows a high potential for aquaculture development, especially as an alternative to the monoculture of the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei in coastal ponds. In north‐eastern Brazil, E. brasilianus has been reared historically in conjunction with the common snook Centropomus undecimalis and mullet Mugil liza since as early as the 1930s (Ihering, ).…”