Composition, distribution and relative abundance of fishes linked to fringing reefs of southern Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico

The biological knowledge of the reef communities of southern Veracruz is fundamental, because, according to the Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity, they are part of a priority marine zone. This paper describes the ichthyological components of the southern Veracruz fringing reefs, including information on abundance and distribution. 146 random visual censuses were conducted in 5 habitats characterized by the dominant benthic groups and environmental features (structural complexity, transparency, and depth). In each census, fish species were identified and their abundance estimated using 6 ordinal categories. Subsequently, the similarity of the ichthyologic communities with the Jaccard Index was determined. The reef formations of southern Veracruz include 91 fish species, 58 genera, and 31 families. According to their relative abundance, 25 % of the fish species were catalogued as rare, 25 % as uncommon, 23.9 % as occasional, and 22.7 % as common or abundant. The most abundant fish species were: Stegastes adustus, Halichoeres bivittatus, Thalassoma bifasciatum, Bodianus rufus, and Ophioblennius maclurei while, the families: Epinephelidae, Gobiidae, and Scaridae showed a scarce richness and abundance. The benthic attributes (coral cover) and environmental features of habitats were related to the richness, components, and relative abundance of fishes.