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Abstract TAXONOMIC ABUNDANCE AND COMPOSITION OF THE LARVAL ICHTHYOFAUNA LOCATED AT THE NERITIC TRANSITION ON THE FOREREEF OF CARRIE BOW CAY, BELIZE Kathleen S. Cole Carrie Bow Cay comprises part of the Belize barrier reef system
which marks the transition from oceanic to neritic epipelagic waters
in this region of the western Atlantic. Prevailing north-easterly
trade winds generate a north-to-south current that sweeps along
the ocean side of the barrier system, providing a steady stream
of ready-to-metamorphose fish larvae. Quantification of the larval
ichthyofauna, based on repeated sampling of the Carrie Bow forereef
over the last three years, has yielded an unexpected pattern of
taxonomic abundance and composition of the larval ichthyofauna.
Among the 15,000+ larvae collected, sorted, identified and counted,
there was an overwhelming numerical dominance of relatively cryptic
species. Larvae of two species, Ctenogobius saepepallens
(the dash goby, Family Gobiidae) and the speckled worm eel, Myrophus
punctatus (F. Ophichthidae) typically comprised over 50% of
all collected specimens. Interestingly, both of these species live
in burrows, are relatively inconspicuous, and would not be seen
during traditional visual fish surveys. Given the nature of these
findings, the ecological importance and relative contribution to
energy flow for some cryptic fish species occupying coastal and
reef habitats of Belize has likely been greatly under-estimated.
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