Short Communication: Intertidal Rock Pool Fishes in the Natural Reserve of Glorieuses Islands (Western Indian Ocean)

Abstract

Abstract—The fish diversity of intertidal rock pools in the Glorieuses Islands was investigated using clove-oil anaesthetic. That method, is easy to use and safety is well adapted for this type of census. A total of thirty two species belonging to 14 families were sampled. Of these, 19 were observed as adults in most stations and represented the typical population of these intertidal pools, in particular the Blenniidae that presented the highest species richness and the Gobiidae, which were the most abundant. The 13 remaining species were only observed during their juvenile state and appeared to be only temporary residents. More than half of the species collected (17/32 spp) were not recorded during the previous ichthyofauna study at the Glorieuses islands using UVC, results that show the importance of the anaesthetic method that allows the collection of smaller-sized species that live inside the reef framework and are consequently more difficult to record.

Keywords: Intertidal rock pool, fishes, clove oil, natural reserve, Glorieuses Islands, Western Indian Ocean.