Composition and ecological distribution of ichthyoplankton in eastern Beibu Gulf

Abstract

Surveys were conducted in four seasons in the eastern Beibu Gulf from July 2006 to November 2007, to determine the ichthyoplankton composition, abundance, as well as environmental factors impacted on their spatiotemporal distributions. The fish eggs and larvae were sorted from 303 zooplankton quantitative samples, in which at least 1 order, 60 families, 31 genera and 61 species of fish eggs and larvae were identified. The species number was highest in summer whereas lowest in winter. With the most abundant fish egg (the average density was 2.41 ind./m3), spring was the main spawning season, while the greatest mean density of fish larva was 1.35 ind./m3 in summer. In the whole year around, fish eggs had the trends to aggregate in the nearshore of Guangxi coast, fish larvae were more abundant in the northern water. Relationships between fish eggs and larvae abundance and environmental factors were analyzed by using the Yield-Density model. The spatiotemporal distribution of ichthyoplankton in eastern Beibu Gulf was closely related to the Chl a concentration, and the optimal temperature, salinity and Chl a were 19.4–21.7°C, 31.8–33.1 and 1.5–4.8 mg/m3, respectively. Additionally, the distribution of fish larvae could be effected by ocean currents in summer and autumn.