Biodiversidade de peixes da praia de Porto de Galinhas, Pernambuco

Abstract

The reef ecosystem of Porto de Galinhas has great ecological, social, scenic and economic importance, both for tourism and for species of commercial value. This study aimed to identify the biodiversity of fish on Porto de Galinhas beach, south coast of Pernambuco and describe them in terms of their trophic groups, abundance, geographic distribution and degree of conservation according to the IUCN and MMA red lists. For the elaboration of the work, data collections were carried out at the study site through visual censuses, between the years 2008 and 2020, totaling 62 dives. Researches were also carried out in the literature and selected works that contained in the body of the text information about the reef species recorded in the study area. A total of 180 fish species distributed in 63 families were recorded, where the most representative family in number of species was Carangidae (16). Most of the species are categorized as rare, while the species categorized as abundant was the group with the lowest number of species. In relation to trophic categories, the group with the greatest representation in number of species was that of eaters of mobile invertebrates and carnivores, with 44% and 26%, respectively, but for the latter, the abundance data show that most of these species are considered rare. Most species occur in the Western Atlantic with 54.5% of the species, however the study area is home to many endemic species in Brazil, 13% of the species found. When combining the IUCN and MMA threat assessments, 6% of the species occurring in Porto de Galinhas are under some level of threat risk. It is necessary that this reef ecosystem be an area considered as a priority for conservation where appropriate management measures are applied for the sustainable use of the site. The present study, in addition to serving as a basis for future work, provides important information that can contribute to the creation of these management plans