Table 2 Description of the fish assemblages and two fish species defined from echotypes (surrounded by a blue dashed line).
Label name | Characteristics | Species observed in video | Other potential species | Example of echogram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bottom small fish school | Fish school laying on the bottom. The corresponding fish species are hardly visible on video footage since fish quickly hide in the sediment | Thalassoma noronhanum Halichoeres radiatus | Xyrichtys martinicensis (1) Heteroconger camelopardalis (1) Halichoeres dimidiatus (2) Xyrichtys incandescens (3) |
|
Bottom weak fish detection | Thin layer of benthic fish | Gobiidae sp. Bothidae sp. | Crypto-benthic species Entomacrodus vomerinus (3) Ophioblennius atlanticus (3) Scartella cristata (3) Bathygobius soporator (3) Coryphopterus glaucofraenum (3) Gnatholepis thompsoni (3) Lythrypnus sp. (3) Priolepsis dawsoni (3) |
|
C. sufflamen | Loose shoal of fish, distributed close to the shelf-break | Canthidermis sufflamen |
| |
Individual demersal fish | Individual fish on the bottom or in the water column over the shelf | Lutjanus jocu Sphyraena barracuda Caranx lugubris Caranx latus |
| |
Loose school | Loose school of unidentified fish over the shelf |
| ||
M. niger | Large loose shoal with fish exhibiting different body orientations, distributed over the shelf | Melichthys niger |
| |
Mix reef fish | Fish schools and shoals over complex bottom structure formed by coral or rocky reefs | Abudefduf saxatilis Chromis multilineata Melichthys niger Sparisoma amplum Acanthurus coeruleus, A. chirurgus Stegastes rocasensis Cephalopholis fulva Kyphosus sectatrix Cantherhines macrocerus Lutjanus jocu Thalassoma noronhanum Haemulon chrysargyreum Balistes vetula Paranthias furcifer Pseudupeneus maculatus Holocentrus adscensionis | Sparisoma axillare (2) S. frondosum (2), S. radians (4) Anisotremus surinamensis (3) Haemulon parra (3) Haemulon chrysargyreum (3) Rypticus saponaceus (3) Dermatolepis inermis (3) Mycteroperca bonaci (3) Epinephelus itajara (3) Pomacanthus paru (3) Holacanthus ciliaris (3) Myripristis jacobus (3) Mulloidichthys martinicus (3) Pempheris schomburgki (3) Centropyge aurantonotus Chaetodon striatus (3), C. ocellatus (3) |
|
Sand fish | Fish school over flat sand bottom | Dactylopterus volitans Hypanus americanus Aetobatus narinari |
| |
Shelf-break large fish | Individual large fish in the water column over the shelf-break | Sphyraena barracuda Caranx lugubris Seriola dumerili Elagatis bipinnulata Thunnus spp. Caranx spp. Carcharhinus falciformis |
| |
Shelf-break school | Demersal fish school associated to the shelf-break | Mix of reef fish Paranthias furcifer Kyphosus sectatrix Caranx lugubris Mycteroperca spp. (1) Menophorus dubius (1) Ginglymostoma cirratum (1) Prognathodes guyanensis (1) Lujanidae |
| |
Small pelagics school | Fish in dense large school characteristic of small pelagic fish schools | Decapterus macarellus Harengula sp. | Harengula jaguana (5) Harengula clupeola (3) |
|
Small pelagics and predators | Loose shoal of small pelagic fish in interaction with predators | Sphyraena barracuda Caranx lugubris Seriola dumerili Elagatis bipinnulata Thunnus spp. Caranx spp. Caranx crysos Carcharhinus falciformis |
|
