Abstract
The biological knowledge of the reef communities of southern Veracruz is fundamental, because, according to the Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity, they are part of a priority marine zone. This paper describes the ichthyological components of the southern Veracruz fringing reefs, including information on abundance and distribution. 146 random visual censuses were conducted in 5 habitats characterized by the dominant benthic groups and environmental features (structural complexity, transparency, and depth). In each census, fish species were identified and their abundance estimated using 6 ordinal categories. Subsequently, the similarity of the ichthyologic communities with the Jaccard Index was determined. The reef formations of southern Veracruz include 91 fish species, 58 genera, and 31 families. According to their relative abundance, 25 % of the fish species were catalogued as rare, 25 % as uncommon, 23.9 % as occasional, and 22.7 % as common or abundant. The most abundant fish species were: Stegastes adustus, Halichoeres bivittatus, Thalassoma bifasciatum, Bodianus rufus, and Ophioblennius maclurei while, the families: Epinephelidae, Gobiidae, and Scaridae showed a scarce richness and abundance. The benthic attributes (coral cover) and environmental features of habitats were related to the richness, components, and relative abundance of fishes.
Highlights
According to their geomorphology, the coral formations of the Veracruz coast include 3 types of reefs: platform, fringing, and submerged banks [1]
In the south of Veracruz, there is a series of isolated reef structures that form “El Sistema Arrecifal Los Tuxtlas” (SAT), which was proposed as a marine protected area [7]
This information was complemented with data on the structural complexity of reefs and transparency of water, using an ordinal scale with 3 categories and with depth data obtained with a dive computer, categorizing it into 2 groups: < 5 m and > 5 m
Summary
The coral formations of the Veracruz coast include 3 types of reefs: platform, fringing, and submerged banks [1]. In the south of Veracruz, there is a series of isolated reef structures that form “El Sistema Arrecifal Los Tuxtlas” (SAT), which was proposed as a marine protected area [7]. These fringing reefs are too included in a priority marine zone of Mexico [8]. The biological components of the strip of reefs located in front of the municipalities of Mecayapan and Tatahuicapan, Veracruz are little known For these reefs, there are recorded, 86 species of mollusks [9], 26 species of echinoderms [10], and a non-native fish species [11]. This research describes the ichthyofauna of the fringing system located in front of the municipalities of Mecayapan and Tatahuicapan, Veracruz, including information on its distribution and relative abundance in 5 habitats
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