Composition and temporal variation of fish assemblages along the Saco dos Limões sound, South Bay, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State

Abstract

In the period from February, 2001 to December, 2002, samples were collected every two months at six locations  along the Saco dos Limões sound, South Bay, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State. In this study, fish composition and  temporal variation were described and analyzed in its qualitative and quantitative aspects by comparing the data obtained  in each year during the study period. Individuals were collected every two months by bottom trawling surveys. For the  description of the fish assemblage, ecological indexes such as Shannon-Wiener, equitability of Pielou, fish number and  species richness were analyzed through ANOVA. The Cluster, MDS, ANOSIM and SIMPER techniques were employed  for comparing fish composition between different years and months. A total of 26,667 individuals were collected, belonging  to 66 taxa, distributed in 27 families. No differences were found between years and months in fish number and species  richness, with differences between months among the ecological indexes. Small differences were found when comparing  the ichthyofauna and the pattern of dominant species between months and years.