ReefSYN | Standardized datasets of Brazilian reef diversity in space and time - Dataset I: Fish communities from the Brazilian province

Study Extent

Sampling ranged from the Brazilian northernmost continental shelf reefs of Parcel de Manuel Luís at 0∘ 52′ S; 44∘ 15′ W to the southernmost coastal rocky reefs of Santa Catarina’s coastal islands at 27∘ 50′ S; 48∘ 26′ W. This also included the four oceanic island groups (Saint Paul’s Rocks, 0∘ 54′ N; 29∘ 20′ W; Rocas Atoll, 3∘ 52′ S; 33∘ 48′ W; Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, 3∘ 51′ S; 32∘ 25′ W; and Trindade and Martin Vaz Island group, 20∘ 29′ S; 29∘ 19′ W). In total, over 137 sites in 20 localities were sampled.

Sampling

Fish assemblages along the Brazilian biogeographic province were counted in 4570 transects (20 × 2 m belt transects, underwater visual census - UVC). Samples were obtained in the austral summer from 2001 to 2015. Strip transects performed by snorkeling or scuba diving, during which the diver unwound a tape while identifying, tallying and visually estimating the total length (TL, cm) of non-cryptic fishes >10 cm. While retracting the tape, the diver followed the same procedure for benthic-associated non-cryptic fishes <10 cm and cryptic species (see Morais et al. 2017 for more details). Morais, R.A., Ferreira, C.E.L. & Floeter, S.R. 2017. Spatial patterns of fish standing biomass across Brazilian reefs, Southwestern Atlantic. Journal of Fish Biology, 91: 1642–1667.

Quality Control

The name of all taxa was checked against the WoRMS database (World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS, 2022)), using the R package “worrms” (Chamberlain 2020). Thus, valid scientific names were called “scientificNameAccepted” following the DCS standard. The last checking was done on 23 October 2023, using the version 0.4.2 of ‘worrms’ R package. Some taxonomic updates were made by hand (Hypanus berthalutzae (previously Dasyatis americana), Bathytoshia centroura (Dasyatis centroura), Azurina multilineata (Chromis multilineata), Caranx bartholomaei (Carangoides bartholomaei), Choranthias salmopunctatus (Antias salmopunctatus), Goblioclinus kalisherae (Labrisomus kalisherae), Sphoeroides camila (Sphoeroides spengleri), Serranus flaviventris (Serranus atricauda). We decided to include Menephorus (hybrid between Cephalopholis fulva and Paranthias furcifer) in the dataset so that the record is maintained even with future taxonomic updates of this organism. Also, Scaridae was considered as part of the Labridae family.

Method steps

1. The number of transects varied considerably among sites (i.e. from five to 242, mean± s.d.=33·4±34·0). To avoid overrepresentation of highly sampled sites, the mean biomass values from all transects of a site were used as the independent observations. The median total fish biomass of coastal localities was used as a reference value with which to contrast individual site values.

1. Ablennes hians
2. Abudefduf saxatilis
3. Acanthistius brasilianus
4. Acanthostracion
5. Acanthostracion polygonium
6. Acanthostracion quadricornis
7. Acanthurus bahianus
8. Acanthurus chirurgus
9. Acanthurus coeruleus
10. Acanthurus monroviae
11. Aetobatus narinari
12. Albula vulpes
13. Alectis ciliaris
14. Alphestes afer
15. Aluterus monoceros
16. Aluterus scriptus
17. Amblycirrhitus pinos
18. Amphichthys cryptocentrus
19. Anisotremus moricandi
20. Anisotremus surinamensis
21. Anisotremus virginicus
22. Antennarius multiocellatus
23. Apogon
24. Apogon americanus
25. Apogon pseudomaculatus
26. Archosargus rhomboidalis
27. Aulostomus maculatus
28. Aulostomus strigosus
29. Azurina multilineata
30. Balistes vetula
31. Bathygobius soporator
32. Belone belone
33. Bodianus insularis
34. Bodianus pulchellus
35. Bodianus rufus
36. Bothus lunatus
37. Bothus ocellatus
38. Calamus calamus
39. Calamus penna
40. Callionymus bairdi
41. Cantherhines pullus
42. Canthidermis maculata
43. Canthidermis sufflamen
44. Canthigaster figueiredoi
45. Caranx bartholomaei
46. Caranx crysos
47. Caranx hippos
48. Caranx latus
49. Caranx lugubris
50. Caranx ruber
51. Carcharhinus perezii
52. Centropomus undecimalis
53. Centropyge aurantonotus
54. Cephalopholis fulva
55. Chaetodipterus faber
56. Chaetodon ocellatus
57. Chaetodon sedentarius
58. Chaetodon striatus
59. Chilomycterus reticulatus
60. Chilomycterus spinosus
61. Chloroscombrus chrysurus
62. Choranthias salmopunctatus
63. Chromis flavicauda
64. Chromis jubauna
65. Chromis limbata
66. Chromis scotti
67. Clepticus brasiliensis
68. Coryphopterus
69. Coryphopterus dicrus
70. Coryphopterus glaucofraenum
71. Coryphopterus thrix
72. Cosmocampus albirostris
73. Cryptotomus roseus
74. Ctenogobius saepepallens
75. Dactylopterus volitans
76. Decapterus macarellus
77. Dermatolepis inermis
78. Diapterus auratus
79. Diodon holocanthus
80. Diodon hystrix
81. Diplectrum formosum
82. Diplectrum radiale
83. Diplodus argenteus
84. Doratonotus megalepis
85. Dules auriga
86. Echeneis naucrates
87. Echidna catenata
88. Elacatinus figaro
89. Elacatinus phthirophagus
90. Elacatinus pridisi
91. Emblemariopsis
92. Emblemariopsis signifer
93. Enchelycore anatina
94. Enchelycore nigricans
95. Engraulis anchoita
96. Epinephelus adscensionis
97. Epinephelus itajara
98. Epinephelus marginatus
99. Epinephelus morio
100. Equetus lanceolatus
101. Eucinostomus
102. Eucinostomus argenteus
103. Eucinostomus melanopterus
104. Eugerres
105. Euthynnus alletteratus
106. Fistularia petimba
107. Fistularia tabacaria
108. Gerres cinereus
109. Ginglymostoma cirratum
110. Gnatholepis thompsoni
111. Gobioclinus kalisherae
112. Gramma brasiliensis
113. Gymnothorax funebris
114. Gymnothorax miliaris
115. Gymnothorax moringa
116. Gymnothorax vicinus
117. Haemulon atlanticus
118. Haemulon aurolineatum
119. Haemulon chrysargyreum
120. Haemulon melanurum
121. Haemulon parra
122. Haemulon plumierii
123. Haemulon squamipinna
124. Halichoeres bivittatus
125. Halichoeres brasiliensis
126. Halichoeres dimidiatus
127. Halichoeres penrosei
128. Halichoeres poeyi
129. Halichoeres radiatus
130. Halichoeres rubrovirens
131. Halichoeres sazimai
132. Harengula clupeola
133. Harengula jaguana
134. Hemiramphus brasiliensis
135. Heteropriacanthus cruentatus
136. Hippocampus reidi
137. Holacanthus ciliaris
138. Holacanthus tricolor
139. Holocentrus adscensionis
140. Hypanus berthalutzae
141. Hypleurochilus
142. Hypleurochilus fissicornis
143. Hypleurochilus pseudoaequipinnis
144. Hyporthodus niveatus
145. Hypsoblennius invemar
146. Kyphosus
147. Kyphosus cinerascens
148. Kyphosus sectatrix
149. Kyphosus vaigiensis
150. Labrisomus cricota
151. Labrisomus nuchipinnis
152. Lactophrys trigonus
153. Lutjanus alexandrei
154. Lutjanus analis
155. Lutjanus cyanopterus
156. Lutjanus griseus
157. Lutjanus jocu
158. Lutjanus synagris
159. Malacanthus plumieri
160. Malacoctenus brunoi
161. Malacoctenus delalandii
162. Malacoctenus lianae
163. Melichthys niger
164. Microgobius carri
165. Microspathodon chrysurus
166. Mugil
167. Mugil curema
168. Mulloidichthys martinicus
169. Muraena
170. Muraena melanotis
171. Muraena pavonina
172. Mycteroperca
173. Mycteroperca acutirostris
174. Mycteroperca bonaci
175. Mycteroperca interstitialis
176. Mycteroperca microlepis
177. Mycteroperca venenosa
178. Myrichthys breviceps
179. Myrichthys ocellatus
180. Myripristis jacobus
181. NA
182. Narcine brasiliensis
183. Negaprion brevirostris
184. Nicholsina usta
185. Ocyurus chrysurus
186. Odontoscion dentex
187. Ogcocephalus vespertilio
188. Ophioblennius trinitatis
189. Opistognathus aurifrons
190. Orthopristis ruber
191. Pagrus pagrus
192. Parablennius
193. Parablennius marmoreus
194. Parablennius pilicornis
195. Paraclinus spectator
196. Paranthias furcifer
197. Pareques acuminatus
198. Pempheris schomburgkii
199. Pinguipes brasilianus
200. Platybelone argalus
201. Pomacanthus arcuatus
202. Pomacanthus paru
203. Porichthys porosissimus
204. Priacanthus arenatus
205. Prognathodes brasiliensis
206. Prognathodes guyanensis
207. Prognathodes obliquus
208. Pronotogrammus martinicensis
209. Pseudocaranx dentex
210. Pseudupeneus maculatus
211. Ptereleotris randalli
212. Rachycentron canadum
213. Rhinobatos
214. Rhomboplites aurorubens
215. Rypticus bistrispinus
216. Rypticus saponaceus
217. Sardinella brasiliensis
218. Sargocentron bullisi
219. Scartella cristata
220. Scarus trispinosus
221. Scarus zelindae
222. Scomberomorus maculatus
223. Scorpaena
224. Scorpaena brachyptera
225. Scorpaena isthmensis
226. Scorpaena plumieri
227. Scorpaenodes caribbaeus
228. Selene vomer
229. Seriola dumerili
230. Seriola lalandi
231. Seriola rivoliana
232. Serranus
233. Serranus atricauda
234. Serranus baldwini
235. Serranus flaviventris
236. Serranus phoebe
237. Sparisoma
238. Sparisoma amplum
239. Sparisoma axillare
240. Sparisoma frondosum
241. Sparisoma radians
242. Sparisoma rocha
243. Sparisoma tuiupiranga
244. Sphoeroides camila
245. Sphoeroides greeleyi
246. Sphoeroides testudineus
247. Sphyraena
248. Sphyraena barracuda
249. Sphyraena borealis
250. Sphyraena guachancho
251. Sphyraena picudilla
252. Starksia
253. Starksia brasiliensis
254. Stegastes fuscus
255. Stegastes pictus
256. Stegastes rocasensis

Sampling ranged from the Brazilian northernmost continental shelf reefs of Parcel de Manuel Luís at 0∘ 52′ S; 44∘ 15′ W (Castro & Pires, 2001) to the southernmost coastal rocky reefs of Santa Catarina’s coastal islands at 27∘ 50′ S; 48∘ 26′ W (Anderson et al., 2015; Fig. 1). This also included the four oceanic island groups (Saint Paul’s Rocks, 0∘ 54′ N; 29∘ 20′ W; Rocas Atoll, 3∘ 52′ S; 33∘ 48′ W; Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, 3∘ 51′ S; 32∘ 25′ W; and Trindade and Martin Vaz Island group, 20∘ 29′ S; 29∘ 19′ W).