Cláudio L. S. Sampaio

New occurrences of the nonindigenous orange cup corals Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusensis (Scleractinia: Dendrophylliidae) in Southwestern Atlantic

The genus Tubastraea , with natural occurrence in the Pacific Ocean, was reported for the first time in Brazil along the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Since then it has also been reported in other sites along the south and southeast Brazilian coasts in oil platforms and rocky shores. We describe for the first time the occurrence of Tubastraea tagusensis and T. coccinea in the Northeastern coast of Brazil. The corals were found in the state of Bahia, sitting on shipwrecks, marina jetties as well as occupying space on a coral reef.

In situ effects of human disturbances on coral reef-fish assemblage structure: temporary and persisting changes are reflected as a result of intensive tourism

Non-lethal human disturbances are often drivers of change in animal population and community structure. To gauge their severity, short-term behaviour (e.g. avoidance and habituation) has been argued to be a sensitive measure. However, many of these behavioural changes may occur only if disturbance-free habitat is readily accessible. In coral-reef fish, we tested whether human disturbances from intensive (i.e. loud music, swimming, snorkelling, splashing and fish feeding by numerous visitors) tourist visitations resulted in assemblage structure shifts led by short-term behaviour. We monitored fish assemblage before, during and after tourist visitations to monitor changes associated with behaviour. Additionally, we monitored two adjacent reefs not visited by tourists because of difficult approach by boat. We posited that if short-term benefits of relocating to disturbance-free habitat outweigh the costs of tolerating disturbances, fish assemblage structure should shift along with tourist visitation levels. By contrast, if sensitive species are unable or unwilling to relocate, we predicted greater levels of assemblage heterogeneity between the visited and control reefs. Our results showed that in situ human visitations led to significant shifts in assemblage structure, resulting from short-term behavioural changes. Additionally, we showed significant between-reefs differences, whereby control reefs were characterised by higher species richness, larger fish sizes and variations in relative trophic guild prevalence. Our results suggest that short-term relocations to adjacent disturbance-free reefs may not mitigate the effects of human disturbances.

Expansion of an invasive coral species over Abrolhos Bank, Southwestern Atlantic

Invasive coral species of the genus Tubastraea have been increasingly recorded in Southwestern Atlantic waters since the 1980s. Their invasion and infestation are mainly related to port and oil exploration activities. For the first time the presence of Tubastraea tagusensis colonies is reported in Espírito Santo State, colonizing a port shore area, and incrusting oil/gas platform structures situated in the southern Abrolhos Bank, which is part of the most important coral reef system of the South Atlantic Ocean. Tubastraea colonies exhibit fast growth and high recruitment rates, and colonized 40% of the analyzed structures in just four years. The projection of port and oil/gas industry growth for the Espírito Santo State (more than 300%) highlights an alert to the dispersal of this alien species to natural areas.

Reef fishes captured by recreational spearfishing on reefs of Bahia State, northeast Brazil

Although recreational spearfishing is a growing activity, its impacts are poorly understood. This paper aims to present data on reef fishes captured by recreational spearfishing in the Bahia State, Northeastern Brazil. We analyzed 168 photos of spearfishing conducted in the reefs of this region between 2006 and 2008. A total of 1.121 fish belonging to 48 species were captured in three sub-regions of the Bahia coastline: Litoral Norte (LN), Salvador (SSA) and Baixo Sul (BS). The main species caught were: Scomberomorus brasiliensis (n = 191), Sphyraena barracuda (n = 153), Lutjanus jocu (n = 150) and Caranx bartholomaei (n = 141); these four species represented 56.5% of total captures. Over the sampling period, the highest values of catch rates per day were observed at BS, followed by SSA and LN. There were significant between-sites differences in the number of fish in the number of species caught. However, there were no significant between-years differences in the number of fish and numbers of species caught. The trophic classification of fish showed that carnivores (n = 623) were more frequently captured, followed by piscivores (n = 371), herbivores (n = 101) and invertivores (n = 26). The results showed that high sized, top predatory fishes, were the main targets, although other trophic levels were also captured.

Cleaning mutualism in Santa Luzia (Cape Verde Archipelago) and São Tomé Islands, Tropical Eastern Atlantic

This work reports for the first time cleaning activity by fish and shrimps in Santa Luzia, Cape Verde Archipelago and Sao Tome Islands. Three new records of facultative cleaner fish species are presented. Facultative cleaners dominated by Labridae were the most observed cleaner fishes in the two studied islands. Multi-specific cleaning stations were prevalent in Santa Luzia, while cleaner shrimps were more observed interacting in the Sao Tome Islands.

Moon and tide effects on fish capture in a tropical tidal flat

The influence of the lunar phases and tidal range on the fish capture was analysed in a tidal flat in Barra do Paraguacu (Baia de Todos os Santos). The sampling was realized in the flood tide and ebb tide of the spring (full moon) and neap (waning moon) tides, between June 2007 and May 2008. At all sampling occasions, two parallel drags were accomplished to the tidal flat, in the same direction of the current, in a 100xa0m long area marked on the beach beforehand, using a seine net of 15xa0m × 2.0xa0m with a mesh of 12xa0mm between adjacent knots. A total of 2312 fish specimens were captured (26.5xa0kg), belonging to 75 species from 45 families. The mean number of captured fish was significantly larger in full moon at ebb tides, while the mean weight in the captures was larger in ebb tides. There was significant difference in number of species, number of fish, richness and diversity between full and waning moons. The number of fish and biomass were significantly different between tides. Significant differences were found in community structure regarding trophic groups in relation to tide and moon, although the classic diversity indices did not capture this effect between tides. Furthermore, it was possible to identify preferences of occurrence related to the change of tide in dominant species.

Diet of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea, in the Waters of Sergipe, Brazil

Abstract We investigated the diet of olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Sergipe, northeast Brazil. Stomach contents from 30 stranded animals showed ridleys in the region were benthic carnivorous, consuming mainly crustaceans and fish. Results are valuable to understand the feeding and foraging habitats of this population and to help clarify possible threats in the region.

Shallow reef fish communities of South Bahia coast, Brazil

This study aims to describe for the first time the fish community structure of five shallow reefs located off the cities of Santa Cruz de Cabralia and Porto Seguro (Araripe-AR, Itacipanema-IT, Alagados-AL, Naufragio-NA and Recife de Fora Marine Park-RF Reefs), South Bahia, Northeastern Brazil. Fish density and richness were assessed through stationary point counts of 2 m radius for small cryptic species and 3 m for more conspicuous species. A total of 1 802 fishes belonging to 23 families and 54 species were observed. The most abundant species were the pomacentrids Stegastes fuscus and Abudefduf saxatilis. No significant differences were found for species richness or density of conspicuous species, but density of small cryptic species was low on reefs with high bottom rugosity, where there were more holes and crevices available. Herbivores were dominant on AR, AL and RF, invertivores on AL and both groups were dominant on IT. Some habitat variables such as rugosity and benthic cover were strongly correlated to species and sites. High bottom heterogeneity was found among reefs but they still presented similar species composition, richness and density. Within small-scale studies, such similarities in composition and richness are to be expected for reef fish communities, as most of the species concerned have a wide distribution range.

Flight response of the barber surgeonfish, Acanthurus bahianus Castelnau, 1855 (Teleostei: Acanthuridae), to spearfisher presence

Ao serem confrontadas por predadores, as presas precisam tomar decisoes economicas, escolhendo entre continuar com sua atividade atual ou fugir. Distância Inicial de Fuga (DIF), a distância a qual um organismo comeca a fugir de uma ameaca que se aproxima, tem sido utilizada para indicar o nivel de medo do animal e um modo para se examinar fatores que influenciam nas decisoes de fuga. Aqui nos investigamos como a DIF do peixe cirurgiao, Acanthurus bahianus , responde a presenca de pescadores subaquaticos em uma tradicional area de pesca no nordeste do Brasil. Especificamente, investigamos se a DIF foi influenciada pelo tamanho do corpo e do grupo; pela heterogeneidade das especies na formacao de grupos; e pela distância para refugio. Diferencas significativas na DIF foram observadas com o aumento no tamanho do corpo. Nos nao encontramos nenhuma relacao significativa da DIF com o tamanho ou formacao do grupo, nem com a distância para refugio. Preferencias na formacao de grupos com A. bahianus foram observadas entre algumas especies,e maiores DIF foram associadas com substratos menos abrigados. Resultados obtidos aqui suportam teorias sugerindo que pescadores subaquaticos influenciam no comportamento dos peixes. Nos destacamos que pesquisas futuras devem focar nos impactos indiretos da pesca subaquatica na estrutura das comunidades marinhas, enfatizando o comportamento anti-predador de peixes juvenis e adultos alvo da pesca.

Banded butterflyfish Chaetodon striatus (Chaetodontidae) cleaning the green turtle, Chelonia mydas (Cheloniidae)

This paper reports on four banded butterflyfish Chaetodon striatus cleaning a juvenile green turtle Chelonia mydas in a rocky shore located at Baia de Todos os Santos, Bahia State, north-east Brazil.