Abstract

AYALA-PEREZ, Luis Amado; AVILES-ALATRISTE, Obed Agustín  and  ROJAS-GALAVIZ, José Luis. Estructura de la comunidad de peces en el sistema Candelaria-Panlau, Campeche, México. Rev. biol. trop [online]. 1998, vol.46, n.3, pp.763-774. ISSN 0034-7744.

The environmental and ecological patterns of the fish community in Candelaria-Panlau system (Mexico) are described. Parameters of the water temperature, salinity and transparency, and density, biomass and diversity of the fish community were analyzed. Between April 1993 and April 1994 five stations were sampled monthly. The fish community had 50 species (7 926 individuals, 144.7 kg of weight). The abundance and diversity values for the fish community were: 0.09 ind/m² ; 1.61 g/m²; 18.25 g/ind ; H'n = 1.879; J = 0.475 and D = 5.681. The species with ecological dominance were: Cathorops melanopus, Diapterus rhombeus, Anchoa mitchilli, Sphoeroides testudineus, Bairdiella chrysura, B. ronchus, Cynoscion arenarius, and C. nebulosus. The matrixes of the environmental parameters and of fish abundance, were tested with a factor analysis (principal components extraction method); its graphical representation confirms the dominant species and indicates that salinity, station number five and February are the components that characterize the system and the fish community.

Keywords : Fish community; Candelaria-Panlau; estuarine ecology; tropical marsh; fish ecology.