Species composition and seasonal abundance of Chaetognatha in the subtropical coastal waters of Hong Kong

Abstract

Species composition, species diversity and seasonal abundance of chaetognaths were studied in Tolo Harbour and the coastal waters of eastern Hong Kong. Tolo Harbour is a semi-enclosed and poorly flushed bay with a long history of eutrophication. It opens into the eastern coast of Hong Kong which is fully exposed to water currents from the South China Sea. Zooplankton samples were collected monthly from July 2003 to July 2005 at six stations. Twenty species of chaetognaths were identified. They included six species of the genus Aidanosagitta ( Aidanosagitta neglecta, Aidanosagitta delicata, Aidanosagitta johorensis, Aidanosagitta regularis, Aidanosagitta bedfordii and Aidanosagitta crassa), four species of the genus Zonosagitta ( Zonosagitta nagae, Zonosagitta bedoti, Zonosagitta bruuni and Zonosagitta pulchra), three species of the genus Ferosagitta ( Ferosagitta ferox, Ferosagitta tokiokai and Ferosagitta robusta) and one species each from the genera Serratosagitta ( Serratosagitta pacifica), Decipisagitta ( Decipisagitta decipiens), Flaccisagitta ( Flaccisagitta enflata), Krohnitta ( Krohnitta pacifica), Mesosagitta ( Mesosagitta minima), Pterosagitta ( Pterosagitta draco) and Sagitta ( Sagitta bipunctata). The most abundant species were Flaccisagitta enflata, A. neglecta and A. delicata. Averaged over the entire study period, the densities of Flaccisagitta enflata, A. neglecta and A. delicata were 9.3, 6.6 and 5.2 ind. m −3, respectively. Overall, these species constituted 39.7%, 28.2% and 22.0% of all chaetognaths collected in the study. Averaged over the entire study, the density of most of the low abundance species was <0.6 ind. m −3. Flaccisagitta enflata occurred throughout the year at all sampling stations. Aidanosagitta neglecta occurred at all sampling stations, but was most common in summer. Aidanosagitta delicata was most common in Tolo Harbour during summer. Tolo Harbour supported larger populations, but fewer species of chaetognaths than the surrounding open waters. These observations suggest that some species of chaetognaths were carried into the coastal waters of Hong Kong by water currents from the South China Sea and established large populations in the productive and poorly flushed waters of Tolo Harbour.