Abstract
Some fish groups are common on coral reefs, but we still lack fundamental information about how fish assemblages vary across seascapes. The order Tetraodontiformes, which includes pufferfish, triggerfish, shingles, porcupinefish, burrfish, leatherjacketfish, filefish, and trunkfish, is one such group. We systematically surveyed 75 sites around 52 islands of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago to evaluate the occurrence and distribution of tetraodontiform fishes. We recorded 25 species from 16 genera and 6 families. We found the distribution of fishes to vary between sites and geographical regions, with the southern Nicobar region having higher species richness than other geographical regions in the island group. Possible reasons for the observed patterns of the occurrence and distribution of tetraodontiform fishes are discussed.
Highlights
Fish of the order Tetraodontiformes are a conspicuous component of coral reefs and are dependent on corals for food and habitat (Tyler 1980, Jones et al 2004, Wilson et al 2008, Pratchett et al 2008, Matsuura 2014)
Some fish groups are common on coral reefs, but we still lack fundamental information about how fish assemblages vary across seascapes
We found the distribution of fishes to vary between sites and geographical regions, with the southern Nicobar region having higher species richness than other geographical regions in the island group
Summary
Fish of the order Tetraodontiformes are a conspicuous component of coral reefs and are dependent on corals for food and habitat (Tyler 1980, Jones et al 2004, Wilson et al 2008, Pratchett et al 2008, Matsuura 2014). Within coral reef ecosystems they play functional roles of herbivores, macroinvertivores, piscivores, zooplanktivores, and corallivores (Hixon 1991, Hughe 1994, Holmlund and Hammer 1999, McClanahan 2000, Bellwood et al 2004, Bellwood et al 2004). Despite their importance to biodiversity, existing information on this group of fishes is limited to taxonomic records and the biology of species.
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