The ichthyofauna of the brazilian surf zone: a compilation for ecological comprehension per region.

Abstract

The ichthyofauna of the surf zones of the Brazilian coast was determined and characterized by the territorial division of Brazil. We compiled 22 scientific papers published in scientific journals which presented the distribution of fish species in these sites. Two hundred and thirty-nine species belonging to seventy-one families of fish were validated and listed. The northern Brazil showed no study in this habitat. The southeast region showed a higher richness of species, families and uniqueness of species, whereas the southern had lower values of richness among the regions studied. In the northeast, most of the unique species are associated with reef environments and the southern presented species typical in freshwater among the unique ones. Finally, the presence of 239 fish species and 71 families represents a considerable number for the ichthyofauna of the Brazilian coast surf zone, for this environment has been scarcely studied. However, because there have been found species inhabiting other environments and by the presence of 61 species with 100% frequency of occurrence in the three regions studied, it can be concluded that it is an ecologically important site. Key words: fish, sea beaches, trawls, Brazil, bibliography