BioOne.org will be down briefly for maintenance on 17 December 2024 between 18:00-22:00 Pacific Time US. We apologize for any inconvenience.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2009 Observations on the Distribution of Ichthyoplankton within the Saco River Estuary System
Andrew M. Wargo, Charles E. Tilburg, William B. Driggers, James A. Sulikowski
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Determining planktonic larval species composition and abundance data can serve to elucidate local patterns of distribution, determine an area's importance as a nursery ground, and help clarify broad-scale trends of adult distribution and spawning ranges. Although the Saco River and estuary is the fourth largest waterway system in Maine, this ecosystem has remained relatively unstudied over the last thirty years, and research describing the temporal ichthyoplankton composition and distribution is virtually absent. The present study examined the structure of the ichthyoplankton community and determined the temporal and spatial variation in species diversity and abundance within the Saco Bay estuary system. Weekly sampling trips during the months of June, July, and August in 2007 revealed ten species of ichthyoplankton present in the study area. Ulvaria subbifurcata (Radiated Shanny) and Tautogolabrus adsperus (Cunner) dominated the abundance data followed by Hippoglossoides platessoides (American Plaice) and Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus (Longhorn Sculpin).

Andrew M. Wargo, Charles E. Tilburg, William B. Driggers, and James A. Sulikowski "Observations on the Distribution of Ichthyoplankton within the Saco River Estuary System," Northeastern Naturalist 16(4), 647-654, (1 December 2009). https://doi.org/10.1656/045.016.n414
Published: 1 December 2009
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top