Structure of the fish assemblage in the surf zone of the beach at Pontal do Sul, Paraná

Résumé

The assemblage structure of the ichthyofauna in the surf zone of the Beach of Pontal do Sul was studied between May 1993 and April 1994 through bi-monthly collections in high and low syzygy tides. The fish community was characterized by a high diversity with numerical dominance of the species Eucinostomus argentus, Harengula clupeola, Anchoa tricolor, Oligoplites saurus, Anchoaparva and Sardinella brasiliensis which represented 74,7 % of the total capture. The majority of the species were marine species and remained in this habitat for a brief period, and only 10 species could be classified as annual residents. No seasonality was observed in the community structure indices in the area. The sampled assemblage was characterized by a high species evenness in periods with a lesser number of species (spring and fall) and by large captures of a few species in periods with greater diversity (summer and winter). The group of months did not follow a pattern of seasonality and reflected differences in qualitative and quantitative occurrences of the more important species, correlated with water temperature and the waves period and height. The seasonality of the groups of selected species showed probable ecological affinities between species.