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Vol. 36 No. 2, 1997
Species Composition and Distribution of Fish Larvae in Yenliao Bay, Northeastern Taiwan
Wann-Nian Tzeng*, Yu-Tzu Wang and Yarng Tzung Chern
Institute
of Zoology, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei,
Taiwan 106, R.O.C. Fax: 886-2-3636837, E-mail: WNT@ccms.ntu.edu.tw
Wann-Nian Tzeng, Yu-Tzu Wang and Yarng Tzung Chern (1997) Species composition and distribution of fish larvae in Yenliao Bay, northeastern Taiwan. Zoological Studies 36(2):
146-158. Fish larvae were col lected monthly in Yenliao Bay in
northeastern Taiwan, using a Maruchi larval net at 11 stations from
October 1992 to September 1993. A total of 9 969 larval fish
representing 80 families and 138 species were collected. The larval
fish assemblages included coral-reef, estuarine, and coastal pelagic
species. Pomacentridae were the most abundant, making up 23% of the
total catch, followed by Apogonidae (15%), Ambassis sp. (9%), Auxis sp. (9%), Gobiidae (6%), Carangidae (6%), Myctophidae (4%), Tripterygiidae (3%), Engraulis japonicus (3%), Priacanthus macracanthus (2%), and Sebastiscus marmoratus
(2%). These 11 species groups constituted approximately 82% of the
total collection. The abundance and number of species of fish larvae
increased with temperature and reached a peak in May. Larvae were more
abundant in the nearshore than the offshore stations. Pelagic fish
(e.g., E. japonicus) spawned
in offshore waters, and their larvae migrated to nearshore waters. The
distribution of fish larvae in nearshore waters was independent of the
distribution of plankton. The high species diversity reflects the
complicated geomorphology and hy drography of the embayment
environment. The mismatch in the distributions of peak abundance
between fish larvae and zooplankton, and the relationship between the
timing of occurrence and life history transition of fish larvae are
discussed.
Key words: Fish larvae, Species composition, Seasonal occurrence, Spatial distribution.
*Correspondence:
Institute of Zoology, College of Science, National Taiwan University,
Taipei, Taiwan 106, R.O.C. Fax: 886-2-3636837, E-mail:
WNT@ccms.ntu.edu.tw
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