DIVERSITY OF FISH LARVAE IN THE FLORIDA-KEYS - RESULTS FROM SEFCAR

The ichthyoplankton collections of SEFCAR (Southeast Florida and Carib bean Recruitment Project) contain a highly diverse mixture of larvae f rom fishes of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys, and the Flo rida Current. Larvae from 91 families of fishes were collected at 29 M OCNESS stations near the Florida Keys in May and June 1989. The nine m ost abundant families were Bregmacerotidae, Myctophidae, Gobiidae, Bot hidae, Gonostomatidae, Serranidae, Scombridae, Clupeidae, and Carangid ae in that order. Each of these families made up more than 2% of the t otal of 20,052 larvae. The most specious families were the Myctophidae (31), Serranidae(12), Ophichthidae(8), and Scombridae(7); the Congrida e, Labridae, and Paralichthyidae all had 6 species. Of 68 Florida Keys fish families associated with coral reefs, we collected larvae of 43 families during 1 week of sampling. Illustrations are provided of Liop ropoma sp., and Eupomacentrus leucostictus. The high biodiversity of f ish larvae near the Florida Keys may be a sensitive indicator for the effects of climate change and human impacts on the regional fish fauna . Comprehensive identifications and descriptions of fish larvae help e stablish the baseline from which to document changes.