Preliminary study to explore the capture potential of endemic larval fish in the Marquesan islands (french polynesia)

J. C. Gordon (1, 2) , Marc Taquet (1, 3) , David Lecchini (2, 1)

1 Laboratoire d'excellence "CORAIL"
2 CRIOBE - Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement
3 EIO - Ecosystèmes Insulaires Océaniens (UMR 241)

This preliminary study explored the capture potential of the Marquesan Islands for fish larvae, especially endemic species, with the set up of light traps on either offshore site or coastal site between January and March 2012. Among the 323 fish larvae belonging to 29 captured species, 151 fish larvae belonging to five species were endemic. Light traps captured more endemic larvae in coastal site than in offshore sites. Overall, this study allows to better understand larval supply of endemic fish species in an isolated region such as the Marquesan Islands.

Keywords: larval fish; marquesan islands; endemic species; recruitment

Domains: Animal biology

J. C. Gordon, Marc Taquet, David Lecchini. Preliminary study to explore the capture potential of endemic larval fish in the Marquesan islands (french polynesia) . Vie et Milieu / Life & Environment, 2015, 65 (1), pp.41-45. ⟨hal-01160335⟩