First Insight on the Fish Species Composition at Two Artificial Reef Areas, Narathiwat Province, Thailand

Authors

  • Felipe Monteiro Gomes Mattos Marine Biodiversity Research Group, Ramkhamhaeng University

Keywords:

Reef fish, Community, Species list, Gulf of Thailand

Abstract

Abstract. In the year of 2010 a set of unused man-made structures were sunk off the coast of Narathiwat province, South Gulf of Thailand, to serve as artificial reefs for new fishing grounds. The present study aimed to list and analyze the distribution of reef fish species in two different areas of artificial reefs. A census was performed in four tanks and three train wagons, registering the abundance of each species per structure. An intensive search was posteriorly performed in order to add the taxa not yet recorded. A total of 53 species were found, from 21 different families; in which the richest were Snappers (7), Damselfishes (4) and Wrasses (4). Dominant species was Neopomacentrus cyanomus in both areas, but only the tanks held large fish aggregations. Diversity index was slightly higher in the wagons (H=1.45), but no significant difference was found between areas. Higher complexity attracts a greater number of small cryptic and gregarious fishes to the tanks; however, their dominance lowered the calculated diversity for the area. Although a lesser number of directly associated taxa, wagons had more species hovering around in its surroundings, probably due to the low physical complexity but wider occupied area. Artificial reefs of Narathiwat hold a typical reef fish community and may act as a shelter for those species, including economical important groups like the snappers, and endangered species like the Humphead Parrotfish.

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Published

2021-04-30

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