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Larval fish assemblages at the Yucatan Shelf and in the Mexican Caribbean Sea during the upwelling period (Spring, 1985)
Laura Sánchez Velasco, César Flores Coto

The composition, abundance and distribution of fish larvae and the role of the seasonal upwelling in determining the distribution pattern of assemblages at the Yucatan Shelf and in the Mexican Caribbean Sea were analyzed during the spring of 1985. The sampling was carried out at 53 stations, using a 60 cm bongo net with 505 pm mesh. A total of 2998 larvae were collected, corresponding to 89 genera and 70 species. Under the dissimilarity index of Bray-Curtis, four assemblages were defined: East-Neritic, West-Neritic, South-Oceanic and North group. The composition and the distribution of these assemblages clearly correspond to the linking of the spawning strategies of the dominant fish species of each assemblage (location, timing and intensity) with the variations of the main physical factors in the area such as the Yucatan Current, the seasonal upwelling and the cyclonic eddy, which occurred during the study period. The great larval abundance of just a few species in the neritic assemblages over the Yucatan Shelf, such as Opisthonema oglimun and Sardinella aurita, seems to be a consequence of the upwelling fertilizing effect in this area.

Keywords: Larval fish, Assemblages, Yucatan Shelf.
Contents of this volume Sci. Mar. 58(4) : 289-297 Back PDF
 
 
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