Abstract
The temporal and spatial patterns of species composition and abundance of fish larvae and juveniles in the Tanshui River mangrove estuary (Taiwan) were studied monthly using a drift bag-net in daylight. A total of 44591 individuals representing 55 families and 105 species were collected over 12 mo (August 1989 to July 1990). The community was dominated numerically by a few species. Sardinella melanura was most numerous, making up 70.15% of the total catch, followed by Stolephorus buccaneeri (19.59%), Thryssa kammalensis (2.96%), and Gerres abbreviatus (2.61%). These four species constituted ca. 95% of the total catch, the remaining 5% consisted of another 101 species. This estuary functions as a nursery and feeding area in the early life history of these fish. There was a separation in peak-immigration and seasonal utilization of the estuary by the dominant species. The abundance of fish larvae and juveniles decreased in an upstream direction.
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Communicated by T. Ikeda, Niigata
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Tzeng, WN., Wang, YT. Structure, composition and seasonal dynamics of the larval and juvenile fish community in the mangrove estuary of Tanshui River, Taiwan. Marine Biology 113, 481–490 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349175
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349175