Demersal ichthyofauna of the inner continental shelf off Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

We present an inventory of demersal fishes from the inner continental shelf off Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil. Three sites were sampled monthly, between March 2003 and February 2005, with standardized bottom trawls (30 minutes, 16 m depth, 22/16 mm mesh). A total of 7.857 specimens were captured, belonging to three species of Chondrichthyes and 95 species of Actinopterygii (77 genera and 40 families). The occurrence of Ampharius phrygiatus represents a southern range extension for this species, which was previously known only from the narrow coastal stretch between Guyana and Maranhão State (Brazil). The record of Synodus poeyi represents the first record of this species in Brazil and in the South Atlantic, as it was previously recorded only in the Caribbean. The general structure of the demersal fish assemblage is described and commented upon.