Composição e abundância de ovos e larvas de peixes na baía da Babitonga, Santa Catarina, Brasil

Composition and abundance of fish eggs and larvae in the Babitonga Bay, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Estuaries are high biological productivity areas and play an important role as nursery grounds for early life stages of fishes. The aim of this work was to describe the spatial and temporal distribution of ichthyoplankton composition and abundance in the main channel of the Babitonga bay. The mean surface temperature and salinity were 24.3°C and 28.2, respectively. Throughout the study period 4079 fish eggs and 1779 larvae were collected. Higher egg and larval densities were observed in spring, summer, and in the innermost channel area where salinity was lowest. Eighty-one percent of the eggs were Engraulidae. Twenty-five taxa of fish larvae were represented, 7 of which were identified to species. Most abundant families were Sciaenidae, Engraulidae, Gobiidae, Haemulidae, Mugilidae, Sparidae, Blenniidae and Carangidae. Sciaenidae larvae from taxa with economic importance were represented by Bairdiella ronchus, Cynoscion sp., Umbrina sp., Stellifer sp., Menticirrhus sp., Pogonias cromis and Micropogonias furnieri. Spatial and temporal distribution of Lycengraulis grossidens larvae were wide, and it was registered in all sampling sites and seasons, except winter. This study shows the role of Babitonga Bay as a nursery for species of estuarine and coastal fish assemblage. In that area the knowledge on ichthyoplankton is sparse and further studies are recommended.