NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Abundance and Distribution of

Ichthyoplankton along an

Inshore-Offshore Transect in

Onslow Bay, North Carolina

Allyn B. Powell

Roger E. Robbins

U.S. Department of Commerce

June 1994
u.s. Deparbnent

of Conunerce

Ronald H. Brown

Secretary

National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration

D. James Baker

Under Secretary for Oceans and

Atmosphere

National Marine

Fisheries Service

Rolland A. Schmitten

Assistant Administrator for

Fisheries

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NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

A Technical Report of the Fishery Bulletin

Abundance and Distribution of

Ichthyoplankton along an

Inshore-Offshore Transect in

Onslow Bay, North Carolina

Allyn B. Powell

Roger E. Robbins

June 1994

U.S. Department of Commerce

Seattle, Washington

Abundance And Distribution Of Ichthyoplankton along an

Inshore-Offshore Transect In Onslow Bay, North Carolina

ALLYN B. POWELL and ROGER E. ROBBINS

National Marine Fisheries Service,

Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA/NMFS

Beaufort Laboratory

Beaufort, North Carolina 28516

ABSTRACT

The distribution and abundance of ichthyoplankton was investigated from November

1979 to March 1980 along a transect from coastal to continental slope waters in Onslow Bay,

North Carolina. Representatives of 66 families were collected; 24 of which were tropical

families, a category that also includes families of typically oceanic and deep-sea fishes.

Larvae of tropical species were collected in coastal and shelf waters, demonstrating the

intrusion of GulfStream waters onto the continental shelf. From December through March,

frontal waters that separated cold open-shelfsurface waters from warm Gulf Stream surface

waters were observed. Higher abundances of fish larvae were sometimes, but not consistently, associated with frontal waters. A great diversity of taxa was collected in offshore

waters, and densities of larvae were low in coastal waters; low densities were attributed to

gear selectivity rather than low larval abundance. Larvae of commercially and recreationally

important estuarine-dependent species, especially Leiostomus xanthuTUs and Micropogonias

undulatus, were dominant components of the ichthyoplankton. Representatives of the

families Bothidae, Clupeidae, Gadidae, Gonostomatidae, Myctophidae, Ophidiidae, and

Sparidae were also important components of the ichthyoplankton. Larvae of species representing two strikingly different life history types-mesopelagic and estuarine-dependentfrequently cooccurred.

Introduction

Recently in April 1990 the National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), Beaufort Laboratory, initiated a reef

fish recruitment study emphasizing recruitment on hard

bottoms in Onslow Bay, North Carolina. One objective

of that study was to examine historical samples for the

presence of reef fishes, particularly gag, Mycteroperca

microlepis, and red porgy, Pagrus pagrus, that appear to

spawn during winter months (Manooch, 1976; Collins

et al., 1987). In addition, the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Ocean

Program (COP) recently (1991) initiated a South Atlantic Bight Recruitment Experiment (SABRE) study

centered in Onslow Bay, North Carolina. The SABRE

study focuses on recruitment processes for estuarinedependent fishes spawned in fall and winter.

The objective of our study was to measure the abundance of all ichthyoplankton taxa taken along an inshore to offshore transect in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, from late fall 1979 through early spring 1980. This

information was used (1) to determine the kinds and

abundance ofreeffish larvae, (2) to provide basic information for projects like SABRE on the composition and

abundance offish larvae relative to distance from shore

in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, from late fall to early

spring, and (3) to examine the composition and abundance ofichthyoplankton in relation to a thermal front

that separates warm GulfStream waters from cooler continental shelfwaters. A detailed account ofthe age and size,

relative to distance from shore, of Micropogonias undulatus,

Leiostomus xanthurus, and Brevoartia tyrannuscollected during this study has been given by Warlen (1982), Warlen

and Chester (1985), and Warlen (1992), respectively.
2 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Methods _

The RVJohn deWolfII, a 19-m steel long-liner converted

for oceanographic work, was used on all cruises. One

transect, consisting of eight stations (11-18) from inshore to offshore (Fig. 1), was sampled monthly from

November 1979 to March 1980. Ichthyoplankton was

sampled with a 50-cm bongo sampler with 505-llm nets

except in February, when 333-llm mesh nets were used.

A flowmeter mounted in the center of each net mouth

was used to estimate the volume of water filtered. Except for the shallow stations 11 and 12, nets were towed

obliquely using standard California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries. Investigations (CALCOFI) techniques

(Smith and Richardson, 1977). At the shallow stations

11 and 12, nets were towed 1 m below the surface for

approximately 5 minutes.

Larvae from one net were preserved in 5% buffered

formalin; larvae from the other, in 70% ethyl alcohol.

Catches were standardized to number of larvae/IOO

m3. Catches from duplicate tows, when taken, were

averaged arithmetically. Surface temperature was recorded at each station. Isotherms depicted in Figure 2

were interpolated from station data.

Taxa were classified by range and habitat of adults, to

allow comparisons between the following habitat groups:

NORTH

CAROLINA

BEAUFORT INLET

!·,.i..... ··,.'·.....·-." .,.J

RALEIGH BAY

A

1.

(388m)

15

•

(37m)

A

14

(31m)

.

.-"",

" , ......~/ . I

I

;:...... /

~~... /'

o~"" / ,~.' / ,~.' , 18 .,~... ,

I A f "'.:I

(42m) . _~"1..'')~ . ..._0Ct''' .... ",."" ..' /$ ... ".•.., .... A 17 .•../ /'(183m)

....... ,,' ..' -",,-'

"

,

I .' .'

, ,

10 Km

ONSLOW BAY

7eoOO'

Figure I

Location of sampling sites in Onslow Bay, North Carolina. Values in parentheses

indicate depth (m).
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 3

(1) estuarine dependent-species that spawn in coastal

and shelf waters but that generally reside in estuaries

during their juvenile stage; (2) coastal-species that

commonly inhabit depths down to 18 m; (3) open

shelf-species that commonly inhabit depths of 18-

65 m; (4) shelf edge-species that commonly inhabit

depths of 65-132 m; (5) lower shelf-species that commonly inhabit depths of 132-185 m; and (6) "tropical"-

subtropical and tropical species, as well as oceanic,

mesopelagic, and deep-sea species, whose occurrence

on North Carolina's continental shelf was most likely

caused by transport by Gulf Stream intrusions. For convenience, species of this latter group will be referred to

as "tropical" species. A list of 685 species inhabiting

North Carolina marine waters is given by Schwartz

(1989). Schwartz's classification, general distributional

STATION

TOTAL LARVAE

PER 100 m3

DEC -----.:.~IJAN ------.:....:..:..J_.

FEB -----.;.~~

information from Robins and Ray (1986), and specific

distributional information on carapids from Olney and

Markle (1979) and on stromateoids from Ahlstrom et

al. (1976) were used to classify taxa.

Stations were classified by four general habitat types

following Struhsaker's (1969) classification: (1) coastal

habitat, stations 11 and 12; (2) open-shelf habitat, stations

13-16; (3) lower-shelf habitat, station 17; and (4) slope

habitat, station 18. Because open-shelf habitat covers a

wide area, we considered stations close to coastal habitat

as inner open-shelf (e.g. 13 and 14) and stations close to

lower-shelf habitat as outer open-shelf (e.g. 15 and 16).

Supplemental habitat descriptions were included from

Schwartz (1989) and Robins and Ray (1986).

When evaluating the contribution of individual taxa

in terms of density, we used five larvae/l00 m3 (i.e.

o

N

MAR ______~.::.:.._I_ ('C) ..J

0000 0 0

U'i cti ,...: a:i 0

LLLi _-1.---+_"'.1...-

Figure 2

Total larvae (number/100 m3) and sea surface temperatures during November-March along a transect

from coastal to Gulf Stream waters in Onslow Bay, North Carolina. ND = no data collected.
4 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

4.5 larvae/100 m3) as the criterion to separate abundant from less abundant. Identifying larvae to species

level resulted in the tentative identification of certain

taxa. For example, six species of the gadid genus

Urophycis reportedly occur in North Carolina waters

(Schwartz, 1989; Comyns and Grant, 1993). Pigmentation patterns of three of these (u. regia, U. chuss, and U.

chesteri) have been described (Fahay 1983; Methven,

1985), but small specimens (<10 mm SL) of U. chesteri

and U. chuss, which may occur in our study area, cannot

be separated. We identified, when possible, two types of

Urophycis, U. regia and U. floridiana, on the basis of the

absence (u. regia) or presence (u. floridiana) of pelvicfin pigment (Comyns and Grant, 1993); however, other

Urophycis spp. that resemble them may also have been

caught. A similar case occurred for the families Myctophidae and Bothidae. Identifications ofmyctophids were

based on criteria following Fahay (1983). For the

Bothidae, not all species of the genera Etropus and

Citharichthys have been described in detail (i.e. E. rimosus

and C. macrops) (Tucker, 1982) so species identification

of larvae of these genera should be considered tentative. Unidentified Paralichthysare most likely P. lethostigma

or P. albigutta because larvae of these two species cannot be separated from one another until meristic characters (e.g. anal-fin rays) are developed, whereas P.

dentatus can be readily separated. A complete list of

larval abundance by cruise and station is given in Appendix Tables 1-5. Larval material is deposited at the

Beaufort Laboratory under the care of the senior author.

Results _

Total Abundance

Representatives of 66 families, including representatives of 24 "tropical" families, were collected (Appendix

Tables 1-5). The greatest abundance offish larvae during late fall to early spring appeared at open-shelf (stations 14-16), lower-shelf (station 17), and slope (station 18) locations (Fig. 2). Although there was a considerable degree of variability, larvae over the entire

study period were most abundant at open shelfstations

14 and 15 and were least abundant at coastal stations 11

and 12.

A thermal front, as defined by the greatest difference

in surface water temperatures that separated cool coastal

waters from warm GulfStream waters, was usually present

on the shelf during sampling. Frontal waters were generally, but not consistently, associated with high larval

densities (Fig. 2). During November sampling, a thermal front was not observed. During December, larval

fish abundances associated with the front (stations 13-

15) were lower than the mean values calculated for

these stations over the entire study period, whereas the

highest value occurred in warmer Gulf Stream waters

over the continental slope (Fig. 2). During January,

abundances were high in the vicinity of the front (stations 13-15), but lack of samples at offshore stations

would not allow proper evaluation of larval fish abundance relative to frontal waters (Fig. 2). During February, high abundances were associated with frontal waters (stations 14-15), but values at the shoreward side

of the front did not appear unusually high (Fig. 2).

Similarly in March, high abundances were observed at

the ocean side of the front, but low abundances were

observed at the shoreward edge (Fig. 2). However, in

general, areas that had the overall highest densities of

fish larvae were associated with the thermal front.

Diversity of Families

There was a greater diversity of families at offshore

stations (14-18) than onshore stations (11-13) (Table

1). Collections in coastal waters (stations 11-12), where

densities of fish larvae were low (Fig. 2), contained a

consistently low diversity of families (Table 1). On the

other hand, collections at the lower-shelf and slope

habitats contained a high diversity of families, but very

few families were abundant (Table 1). For example, at

station 17 during December, 35 families were identified, but none were collected at densities five larvae/

100 m3 .

Distribution and Relative Abundance of

Selected Taxa

The families Bothidae, Clupeidae, Gadidae, Gonostomatidae, Myctophidae, Ophidiidae, Sciaenidae, and

Sparidae were important components of the

ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, given

they were among the five most abundant families (with

10 larvae/100 m3) in at least one cruise (Table 2).

Sciaenidae-Only two species of sciaenids (Leiostomus

xanthurus and Micropogonias undulatus) were collected

and they dominated collections during late fall and

winter (Table 1). These larval sciaenids were most abundant at open-shelf habitat stations and least abundant

at coastal habitat stations (Table 1). On one occasion

(December), a large number of larvae of these species

were collected in slope habitat waters well inside the

Gulf Stream (Table 1, Fig. 2). Micropogonias undulatus,

which intensively spawns in the study area from late

September through November (Warlen, 1982), was the

most abundant estuarine-dependent species during
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 5

Table 1

The most abundant families collected in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, by month and station. Values are numbers/

100m3. Blank spaces indicate that larvae occurred at densities < 4.5/100 m 3. Dashes indicate no samples were taken.

Station

Family 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

November

Bothidae 11.5

Clupeidae 6.3

Sciaenidae 273.1 60.2

Triglidae 8.1

Total number

of families 2 13 10

December

Bothidae 5.4 17.5 5.8 4.8

Carangidae 6.6 5.1

Centriscidae 7.0

Engraulidae 4.7

Gadidae 27.1

Gonostomatidae 11.2

Myctophidae 7.0 11.0

Ophidiidae 6.1

Sciaenidae 10.2 4.6 8.4 51.4

Triglidae 8.0

Total number

of families 3 4 3 9 3 18 35 23

January

Bothidae 24.8 15.3 7.3

Clupeidae 22.2 14.6 5.2 9.6

Gadidae 9.8 18.8 15.4 6.0

Ophichthidae 5.4

Photich thyidae 4.9

Sciaenidae 139.8 15.5 4.8

Sparidae 7.7 78.1 8.7

Total number

of families 7 4 11 17 15

February

Bothidae 30.1 42.3 19.0

Carangidae 4.5

Clupeidae 8.4 8.2 37.8 13.4

Gadidae 5.0 10.4 27.6 22.1 6.5 6.2

Gobiidae 4.7

Myctophidae 6.8 8.9

Ophidiidae 4.7 11.5

Sciaenidae 13.5 45.2 23.0

Scorpaenidae 6.7 6.4

Serranidae 4.5

Sparidae 21.8

Synodontidae 5.1

Triglidae 5.1

Total number

of families 6 11 25 30 19 19 27
6 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Family

Bothidae

Clupeidae

Cynoglossidae

Gadidae

Myctophidae

Ophidiidae

Sciaenidae

Serranidae

Sparidae

Stromateidae

Synodontidae

Total number

of families

11

o

12

2

Table I (Continued)

Station

13 14 15

March

10.5 10.1 18.9

19.3 22.3

21.8

5.5 4.8 47.8

5.7

5.4 30.5

14.3 15.3

5.0 11.4

8.8

5.9

8.0

11 10 19

----

16

9.6

22.7

6.3

5.5

21

17

27.5

8.6

18

18

13.0

15

Table 2 November; from December through February, L.

Total abundances (numbers/IOO m3 summed over xanthurus was the dominant estuarine-dependent speall stations) of the most abundant families collected cies (Table 3).

in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, from November 1979

through March 1980. Blank spaces indicate that lar- Bothidae-Bothids were abundant throughout the study

vae occurred at densities < 4.5 larvae/IOO m3. period (Table 2). They were most abundant in openshelf waters and rarely were collected in coastal, lowerMonth shelf, and slope habitat waters (Table 1). The most

Family ov Dec Jan Feb Mar commonly collected bothids were ofthe genera Etropus,

Citharichthys, and Paralichthys (Table 4). Of the genus

Ariommatidae 4.7 Paralichthys, three estuarine-dependent species were

Balistidae 5.7 most abundant P. albigutta, P. dentatus, and P. lethostigma;

Bothidae 3.2 37.8 48.0 101.2 54.9 P. squamilentuswas rarely collected (Table 4). Paralichthys

Callionymidae 4.6 larvae were most abundant in open-shelf waters but

Carangidae 13.5 5.1 9.8 were not collected in November. Paralichthys albigutta

Centriscidae 7.4 and P. lethostigma were first collected in December.

Clupeidae 7.2 6.6 56.0 75.2 100.7 During February, all three species were abundant in

Cynoglossidae 6.0 26.8 open-shelf waters that were on the Gulf Stream edge of

Engraulidae 5.9 6.3 4.8 the thermal front (Table 4, Fig. 2). Paralichthys sp. (eiGadidae 28.0 50.0 79.3 64.4 ther P. albigutta or P. lethostigma) ranked third in abunGobiidae 7.0 8.3 8.3 dance in December and fourth in abundance from

Gonostomatidae 16.5 11.9 January through March among Paralichthys collections

Myctophidae 24.8 4.9 30.8 23.2 (Table 4). Given their importance and their small size

Ophichthidae 5.7 9.1 5.9 (meristic characters necessary to separate them have Ophidiidae 10.3 17.1 39.9

not yet developed), a comparative description of P. Photichthyidae 5.9

Scaridae 5.2 lethostigma and P. albigutta is needed to evaluate the

Sciaenidae 334.1 81.5 165.3 88.7 34.7 abundance and distribution of early life history stages

Scombridae 5.8 and spawning areas of each of these bothids.

Scorpaenidae 20.6 Etropus crossotus and E. microstomus were most abunSerranidae 5.0 13.6 23.4 dant in open-shelf, lower-shelf, and slope habitat waters

Sparidae 97.5 29.1 12.6 (Table 4) suggesting that the spawning area of these

Stromateidae 9.4 estuarine, coastal, and open-shelf species might be offSyngnathidae 4.8 shore of their adult habitat. Other bothids were less

Synodontidae 10.6 15.8 abundant. Bothus sp., representative of two species that

Triglidae 8.1 8.0 8.8 occur in the study area (B. ocellatus and B. robinsi) , was

------- never abundant. This genus, adults of which occupy
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 7

Table 3

Relative abundance (numbers/IOO m 3) of estuarine-dependent species, by month and station, collected in Onslow

Bay, North Carolina. Dashes indicate no samples were taken. Blank spaces indicate no larvae were collected.

Station

Family Taxon 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

November

Clupeidae Brevoortia tyrannus 0.9 6.3

Sciaenidae Leiostomus xanthurus 43.2 3.2

Micropogonias undulatus 229.8 56.9

December

Bothidae Paralichthys albigutta 2.5

P. lethostigma 5.6

Paralichthys sp. 7.0

Clupeidae Brevoortia tyrannus 4.1 0.6

Sciaenidae Leiostomus xanthurus 5.6 4.6 7.0 1.1 45.4

Micropogonias undulatus 1.9 1.8 4.6 1.8 1.4 0.5 6.0

January

Bothidae Paralichthys dentatus 6.5 2.0

Paralichthys sp. 7.1 1.5

Clupeidae Brevoortia tyrannus 2.8 1.6 22.3 14.4 2.0 1.0

Sciaenidae Leiostomus xanthurus 4.2 0.9 137.2 10.8 3.9

Micropogonias undulatus 2.7 4.7 1.0

Sparidae Lagodon rhomboides 0.7 2.2 3.5 14.9 8.7

February

Bothidae Paralichthys albigutta 1.6 4.1 5.6

P. dentatus 1.6 6.3 2.7 0.3

P. lethostigma 1.8 5.0

Paralichthys sp. 4.2 6.2 1.7 0.3

Clupeidae Brevoortia tyrannus 8.4 15.9 1.1 0.3 3.2

Sciaenidae Leiostomus xanthurus 0.8 13.5 41.7 20.3 2.3 0.3 1.8

Micropogonias undulatus 3.5 2.7 1.1 0.3 0.3

Sparidae Lagodon rhomboides 0.8 1.4 1.6 2.7 21.8

March

Bothidae Paralichthys dentatus 3.7

Paralichthys sp. 0.8 7.9 2.9

Clupeidae Brevoortia tyrannus 1.0 19.3 2.9 10.7 4.4 6.9 2.8

Sciaenidae Leiostomus xanthurus 2.3 11.4 13.5 0.9 2.0

Micropogonias undulatus 2.9 1.7

Sparidae Lagodon rhomboides 3.9 8.8
8 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Table 4

Relative abundance (numbers/IOO m S) of bothid larvae, by month and station, collected in Onslow Bay, North

Carolina. Dashes indicate no samples were taken. Blank spaces indicate no larvae were collected.

Station

Taxon 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

November

Bothus sp. 1.3

Citharichthys sp. 2.2

Etropus sp. 1.6

Unidentified 8.1

December

Bothus sp. 2.0 1.6 0.6 1.6

Cyclopsetta fimbriata 0.6 0.3

Etropus microstomus 0.6

Etropus sp. 2.8 2.2

Paralichthys albigutta 2.5

P. lethostigma 5.6

Paralichthys sp. 7.0

Scophthalmus aquosus 1.0 2.9 4.9

Unidentified 1.4

January

Citharichthys gymnorhinus 4.2

Citharichthys sp. 4.9 4.5 1.4

Etropus sp. 7.2 5.8

Paralichthys dentatus 6.5 2.0

Paralichthys sp. 7.1 1.5

Unidentified 0.7 2.1

February

Bothus sp. 1.6 1.4 0.3 0.8

Citharichthys cornutus 0.3

C. gymnorhinus 0.3 0.8

Citharichthys sp. 0.3

Cyclopsetta fimbriata 0.3

Etropus crossotus 5.8

E. microstomus 7.6 3.4 2.6 0.5

Etropus sp. 6.8 7.0 0.9 0.4

Paralichthys albigutta 1.6 4.1 5.6

P. dentatus 1.6 6.3 2.7 0.3

P. lethostigma 1.8 5.0

Paralichthys sp. 4.2 6.2 1.7 0.3

Unidentified 4.1 3.2 10.5 1.2

March

Bothus sp. 1.7 1.0 1.1

Citharichthys sp. 0.4

Cyclopsetta fimbriata 1.4

Etropus microstomus 14.2 1.1

Etropus sp. 2.6 7.2 4.1 1.0

Paralichthys dentatus 3.7

P. squamilentus 1.0 1.1

Paralichthys sp. 0.9 7.9 2.9

Unidentified 1.3 0.4
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 9

open-shelfwaters, was most frequently collected in outer

open-shelf, lower-shelf, and slope habitat waters (Table

4). Citharichthys gymnorhinus and C. comutus, which are

not known to occur in Onslow Bay as adults (Tucker,

1982), were rare in our collections (Table 4). The largest collection of C. gymnorhinus was taken during January in inner open-shelfwaters on the shoreward edge of

the thermal front (Table 4, Fig. 2). Scophthalmus aquosus,

a coastal and open-shelf species, was collected only in

December in coastal and inner portions of open-shelf

waters. Cyclopsettafimlniata, a species that occurs in openshelf and lower-shelf waters, was not commonly encountered. Larvae were only collected in outer openshelf, lower-shelf, and slope waters within the Gulf

Stream (Table 4).

Clupeidae-Clupeid larvae were abundant throughout

the study period, especially during March (Table 2).

They were more commonly collected in coastal and

open-shelfwaters, and less commonly collected in lowershelf and slope habitat waters (Table 1). Two species

dominated the collection, the estuarine-dependent

Brevoortia tyrannus and the pelagic Etrumeus teres, adults

ofwhich inhabit coastal and open-shelfwaters. Although

it was most abundant in open-shelf waters, B. tyrannus

occurred throughout the study period and in all habitats (Table 5). Larvae were a major component of the

estuarine-dependent ichthyoplankton in January and

February and dominated in March (Table 3). Etrumeus

teres was first collected in January in small numbers in

lower-shelf and slope habitat waters and was only collected on the Gulf Stream side of the thermal front

(Table 5). When collected together, E. teres always occurred in greater densities than B. tyrannus.

Gadidae-Gadid larvae were abundant in the ichthyoplankton in December through March (Table 2). Gadid

larvae were not collected in November and were never

abundant in coastal waters (Tables 1 and 2). Urophycis

regia was the most common gadid, and it occurred

mainly in open-shelfwaters (Table 6). Urophycisfloridiana

had a similar distribution although it occurred more

often in middle to outer open-shelf waters. The least

common gadid Enchelyopus cimlnius was collected only

during February and March and mainly in open-shelf

waters. Unidentified Urophycisoccurred only at offshore

stations.

Mesopelagic Larvae-The mesopelagic Myctophidae,

Gonostomatidae, and Photichthyidae were the most

commonly encountered "tropical" families. These families were most abundant in open-shelf waters rather

than in slope habitat waters (Table 1). During December these families were commonly collected in Gulf

Stream waters (Table 1) and were never collected within

or at the inshore edge of the thermal front (Fig. 2). In

February myctophids were collected close to shore within

the front, where temperatures ranged from 10° to 15°C

(Table 1, Fig. 2). Smaller numbers oflarval myctophids,

gonostomatids, and photichthyids were collected in

coastal waters at this time when temperatures were 80_

9°C (Fig. 2). During March, myctophids were most

abundant in open-shelf and lower-shelf waters on the

shore side and Gulf Stream side of the front, respectively (Table 1, Fig. 2). The inshore occurrence ofthese

mesopelagic families indicated a distributional pattern

that is influenced by Gulf Stream intrusions onto the

open shelf.

Table 5

Relative abundance (numbers/IOO m 3 ) of larval Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus (AM), and larval round

herring, Etrumeus teres (RH), in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, by station and month. Dashes indicate no samples were

taken.

Station

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Month AM/RH AM/RH AM/RH AM/RH AM/RH AM/RH AM/RH AM/RH

November 0/0 0.9/0 0/0 6.3/0 0/0

December 0/0 0/0 0/0 4.1/0 0/0 0/0 0/0.3 0.6/1.6

January 2.8/0 1.6/0 22.3/0 14.4/0 2.0/3.2 1.0/8.7

February 0/0 0/0 8.4/0 8.2 15.9/21.8 1.1/2.2 0.3/3.8 3.2/10.2

March 0/0 1.0/0 19.3/0 2.9/0 10.7/0 4.4/18.2 6.9/20.6 2.8/10.2
10 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Table 6

Relative abundance (numbers/IOO m3) of gadid larvae in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, by station and month. Dashes

indicate no samples were taken. No gadid larvae were collected in November. Blank spaces indicate no larvae were

collected.

Station

Taxon 11 12 13 14 15 \6 17 18

December

Urophycis regia 4.6

Urophycis sp. 0.3 0.6

Uniden tified 22.4

January

U. Jloridiana 1.6

U. regia 9.8 17.\ \5.4 6.0

February

Enchelyopus cimbrius 1.6 1.6 1.7 0.3

U. Jloridiana 0.8 4.6 9.7 8.0

U. regia 0.8 3.4 4.2 16.3 2.8

Urophycis sp. 11.3 6.5 5.9

March

E. cimbrius 2.6 1.1

U. Jloridiana 12.2 1.8

U. regia 2.9 3.8 35.6 4.5

Ophidiidae-Ophidiid larvae were frequently captured,

but were not generally found at densities five larvae/

100 m3 throughout the study period (Table 2). Ophidiid

larvae were most abundant in open-shelf waters (Table

1). In December, when ophidiids ranked seventh in

abundance (Table 2), we were unable to identify them

below the family level. In February, ophidiids collected

in open-shelf waters (stations 14 and 15) were identified as Ophidion grayi (8.0 larvae/l 00 m3), a coastal and

open-shelf species, and Lepophidium profundorum (2.4

larvae/ 100 m3), a shelf-edge and lower-shelfspecies. In

March, when they were more abundant (Table 2),

ophidiids were collected in open-shelfwaters (Table 1).

Here, collections were dominated by O. grayi (1l.9Iarvae/l00 m3), 0. selenops (6.3 larvae/lOa m3), and L.

profundorum (4.7Iarvae/100 m3).

Sparidae-Sparid larvae were abundant from January

through March in open-shelf waters (Tables 1 and 2).

Numerous unidentified sparids were collected at one

station (January, station 15, 63.3 larvae/laO m3), but at

all other stations the estuarine-dependent Lagodon

rhomboides was the only abundant sparid (Tables 1 and

2). Lagodon rhomboides was the third most abundant

estuarine-dependent species in each of the months it

was collected (Table 3).

Reef fishes-Reef fish larvae generally were not abundant in the ichthyoplankton collected in Onslow Bay

from late fall to early spring (Table 7). However, serranid and scarid larvae were abundant during certain

months (Table 2). Scarids, found in abundance only in

December (Table 2), were never abundant at any single

station (Table 1) but were collected in outer openshelf, lower-shelf, and slope habitat waters (Table 7).

Serranids, whose larvae were the most frequently collected of the reef fishes, were most abundant during

February and March in open-shelfwaters (Tables 1 and

2). Species of Dipleclrum were the most common serranids in our collections. Mycteroperca, which was of

major interest to the objectives of this study, was collected only in March (Table 7). Only one larva ofPagrus

pagrus, the other reef fish of major interest, was collected.

Cooccurrence of "tropical" and estuarinedependent species

An interesting distributional pattern obst>rved was the

cooccurrence of "tropical" and estuarine-dependent

species (Table 8). In November, "tropical" species were

rarely collected. In December, "tropical" and estuarine-
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 11

Table 7

Relative abundance (number/IOO m 3) of reef fish larvae in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, by station and month.

Dashes indicate no samples were taken. Blank spaces indicate no larvae were collected.

Station

Family Taxon 13 14 15 16 17 18

November

Labridae Hemipteronotus sp. 1.6

Pomacen tridae Abudefduf taurus 1.6

Scaridae Uniden tified 1.6

Serranidae Serraninae 3.2

December

Acanthuridae Acanthurus sp. 1.9 1.5

Apogonidae Unknown 0.3

Congridae Ariosoma sp. 0.5

Holocentridae Unidentified 0.3

Muraenidae Uniden tified 0.3

Scaridae Uniden tified 2.8 0.8 1.6

Serranidae Anthias sp. 1.4 0.3 0.3

Anthiinae 0.3

Epinephelini 1.4

Serraninae 0.6 0.6

January

Serranidae Diplectrum sp. 1.0

February

Chaetodontidae Chaetodon sp. 1.0

Labridae Hemipteronolus sp. 1.6 1.4 1.4

Malacanthidae Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps 1.0

Scaridae Uniden tified 0.3

Serranidae Anthias sp. 1.5 1.0 1.1

Anthiinae 0.3

Centropristis sp. 1.6

Diplectrum formosum 1.5

Diplectrum sp. 1.5 2.1 1.1

Serraninae 0.6

Unidentified 1.4

Sparidae Pagrus pagrus 1.6

March

Holocentridae Holocentrus sp. 1.7

Kyphosidae Kyphosus sectatrix 1.0

Mullidae Mullus auratus 1.1

Scaridae Unidentified 1.1

Serranidae Anthias sp. 2.2 1.8 0.4

Centropristis sp. 2.0 1.9 0.4

Diplectrum sp. 5.0 4.7 0.7

Epinephelini 2.0

Mycteroperca sp. 2.4

dependent species cooccurred on outer open-shelf,

lower-shelf, and slope habitats, in waters warmed by

Gulf Stream intrusions (Table 8, Fig. 2). In slope habitat waters, where "tropical" ichthyoplankton would be

expected to dominate, the estuarine-dependen t

Leiostomus xanthurus dominated (Table 8). The fate of

these estuarine-dependent larvae in the northeastward

flowing, zooplankton-poor (Paffenhofer, 1985) Gulf

Stream is unknown.

"Tropical" and estuarine-dependent species cooccurred in all habitats in February (Table 8). These

groups were collected together in coastal, open-shelf,

lower-shelf, and slope habitat waters, as well as in waters

shoreward ofthe thermal front, in the front, and on the
12 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

r----------------------.-----

Table 8

Relative abundance (numbers/lOO m3 ) of larvae of "tropical"/estuarine-dependent species (see definitions in

Methods), by station and month, collected in Onslow Bay, North Carolina. Dashes indicate no samples were taken.

Station

Month 11 12 13 14 15 16

November 0/0 0/0.9 0/0 1.3/279.3 0/60.1

December 0/1.9 0/4.3 0/22.7 0/8.7 7.0/1.8 36.4/8.4

January 0/7.7 0/1.6 0/25.4 7.9/171.6 3.3/35.9 11.6/14.6

February 0/0.8 5.3/2.2 6.8/25.1 19.0/59.6 9.4/83.8 9.5/8.9

March 0/0 0/1.9 3.7/33.4 8.6/20.0 5.8/38.4 4.2/5.3

17

11.4/1.5

5.8/1.5

10.7/9.0

18

5.4/52.0

8.3/5.3

2.1/2.8

Gulf Stream side of the front (Fig. 2). During this

sampling period, Leiostomus xanthurus was a dominant

estuarine-dependent species, whose age and size increased from offshore to inshore (Lewis andJudy, 1983;

Warlen and Chester, 1985). Apparently both groups

spawn in offshore waters and are transported shoreward from warm Gulf Stream influenced water to cold

coastal waters (e.g. Fig. 2).

Discussion

Reef Fish Larvae

Our winter ichthyoplankton survey was not effective for

capturing commercially or recreationally important reef

fish larvae. We collected only one larval red porgy,

Pagrus pagrus, an important recreational species that is

abundant on hard bottom reefs in Onslow Bay

(Manooch, 1976; Grimes et aI., 1982). Ripe females

have been collected off North Carolina fromJanuary to

April, and peak spawning periods occur during March

and April (Manooch, 1976). Larvae of this species have

only been collected in small numbers in the South

Atlantic Bight during winter (n = 3) and spring (n = 9),

and only in the neuston (Powles, 1977). This species is

highly residential (Grimes et aI., 1982); therefore, it

most likely spawns offNorth Carolina. The rarity ofreef

fish larvae in ichthyoplankton surveys in the South Atlantic Bight remains largely unexplained (Powles and

Stender, 1976; Powles, 1977). Larvae that were potentially Mycteroperca microlepis (i.e. identified to tribe

Epinephelini or Mycteroperca sp.) were rarely collected.

Adult M. microlepis and M. phenax are the two most

abundant Mycteropercaspecies in Onslow Bay (Grimes et

aI., 1982; Chester et aI., 1984). Although their larvae

are indistinguishable from each other, M. microlepis

spawns earlier in the season off North Carolina (winterearly spring, with a peak in late March and early April)

than M. phenax (April through August, with a peak in

May and June) (Matheson et aI., 1986; Collins et aI.,

1987). Like P. pagrus, the rarity of M. microlepis larvae in

the ichthyoplankton remains largely unexplained.

Gulf Stream Intrusions

The occurrence of "tropical" species (mainly mesopelagics) in coastal and open-shelf waters might be

evidence of the intrusion of Gulf Stream waters onto

the shelf. The intrusions are episodic events (2-14 days)

caused by Gulf Stream meanders and filaments

(Atkinson, 1985; Lee et aI., 1985; Yoder, 1985), and

apparently are associated with the upwelling of nutrients (Atkinson, 1985; Paffenhofer, 1985; Yoder, 1985).

The intrusions might not only provide a productive

food environment for fishes that spawn in concordance

with these episodic events but may also serve as mechanisms to transport larvae to shelfwaters. During winter,

in trusion ofGulf Stream water could transport larvae of

estuarine-dependent species that are entrained in Gulf

Stream water into shelf waters. For example, the large

numbers of Leiostomus xanthurus larvae we observed in

slope waters in December could be transported north

into Raleigh Bay, North Carolina (Fig. 1), by GulfStream

filaments or meanders.

We suggest that Gulf Stream intrusions transport larvae onto the shelf, but we found no larvae that could

have been transported southward into Onslow Bay by

the longshore Virginia current (Pietrafesa et aI., 1985).

Northern genera such as Ammodytes frequently occur in

ichthyoplankton collections north of Cape Hatteras,

North Carolina (Berrien et aI., 1978), and should be a

good indicator of southerly directed, longshore trans-
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 13

port. We did not observe this genus or other northerly

taxa (e.g. Gadus morhua, Pollachius virens) that are collected north of Cape Hatteras in winter.

Estuarine-dependent Species

Larvae of the estuarine-dependent species Leiostomus

xanthurus, Micropogonias undulatus, and Brevoortia tyrannus are important components of the ichthyoplankton

during late fall and winter in Onslow Bay and in North

Carolina waters north and south ofOnslow Bay (Powles

and Stender, 1976; Berrien et aI., 1978; this study).

Although generally abundant in the study area, they (as

well as other taxa) were rarely captured in coastal waters, although they are the most common species in

estuarine collections (Warlen and Burke, 1990). Lewis

and Judy (1983) observed similar patterns for L.

xanthurusand M. undulatusin Onslow Bay. Mean lengths

and ages of B. tyrannus, L. xanthurus, and M. undulatus

progressively increase from offshore to inshore (Warlen,

1982; Lewis and Judy, 1983; Warlen and Chester, 1985;

Warlen, 1992), which strongly suggests offshore spawning. Obviously there would be a marked decline in

numbers due to high natural mortality rates in the early

stages, but their rarity in coastal waters is probably a

result of accessibility and vulnerability of larvae to the

sampling gear, especially since coastal stations were

sampled only during daylight. Inside estuaries, larvae

are more accessible because they are concentrated in

smaller areas (Lewis and Judy, 1983).

Bothidae

The larvae of several bothids are important components of the ichthyoplankton during late fall and early

winter in the lower Middle Atlantic Bight (Chesapeake

Bay to Cape Hatteras) (Table 9) and during late fall

and throughout the winter in the South Atlantic Bight

(Table 4; Powles and Stender, 1976). In the lower Middle

Atlantic Bight, bothid larvae were rarely collected during mid- to late-winter (Table 9). During late fall and

early winter, Paralichthys dentatus larvae were abundant

in the lower Middle Atlantic Bight (Table 9) but were

not collected before midwinter in Onslow Bay (Table

4), which is in concordance with Smith's (1973) observations that spawning progresses southward with the

season. Larvae of P. albigutta and P. lethostigma have not

been reported from the Middle Atlantic Bight (Berrien

et aI., 1978) but are commonly collected in the South

Atlantic Bight during winter and early spring (Table 4;

Table 9

Percentage of bothid larvae captured by area from Chesapeake Bay to Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. Data (larvae/

30 minute tow) are modified from Berrien et al. (1978). When duplicate samples were taken at the same station, data

were averaged.

Month Taxon

Nov Bothus ocellatus

Citharichthys arctifrons

Cyclopsetta fimbriata

Etropus microstomus

Paralichthys dentatus

Scophthalmus aquosus

Syacium papillosum

Dec Bothus ocellatus

Citharichthys arctifrons

CyclopseUa fimbriata

Etropus microstomus

Paratichthys dentatus

Scophthalmus aquosus

Syacium papillosum

Jan-Feb Bothus ocellatus

Etropus microstomus

Paralichthys dentatus

Scophthalmus aquosus

Area of collection

Number of South of Transect off North of

larvae Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras

183 78 22 0

87 2 32 66

3 67 33 0

255 58 31 11

92 11 40 49

59 15 0 85

25 68 32 0

67 46 54 0

1 0 0 100

1 100 0 0

246 82 17 1

317 25 35 40

108 54 23 23

3 67 33 0

8 88 12 0

33 97 0 3

33 64 27 9

4 50 0 50
14 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Powles and Stender, 1976). The distribution of P.

albigutta and P. lethostigma larvae coincides with that of

the adults, whose northernmost limit is North Carolina

(Gutherz,1967).

Bothusand Syaciumwere reported to be the dominant

bothid larvae collected in the South Atlantic Bight during late fall (Powles and Stender, 1976). We never

collected Syacium and only collected Bothus larvae in

small numbers throughout the study period (Table 4).

Small numbers ofSyaciumand larger numbers of Bothus

larvae have been previously collected in Raleigh Bay

and Onslow Bay but have been rarely collected north of

Cape Hatteras (Table 9). Bothus larvae appear to be more

common on the outershelf (Table 4; Berrien et aI., 1978).

Etropus microstomus larvae were commonly collected

in the upper South Atlantic Bight (Tables 4 and 9), but

were not noted in Powles and Stender's (1976) survey

of the South Atlantic Bight. Although adults of E.

microstomus range north to New York (Tucker, 1982),

larvae were rarely encountered above Cape Hatteras,

North Carolina (Table 9). Scophthalmus aquosuswas commonly collected in the lower Middle Atlantic Bight and

Onslow Bay (Tables 4 and 9) but was not noted in

Powles and Stender's (1976) survey of the South Atlantic Bight. Scophthalmus aquosus larvae were collected in

great numbers in the Middle Atlantic Bight (Berrien et

aI., 1978) and, although adults range from the Gulf of

St. Lawrence to Florida, collections of larvae suggest

this species is most abundant north of Cape Hatteras.

Cyclopsetta jimbriata larvae are rarely encountered in

the Middle Atlantic Bight and in Onslow Bay (Tables 4

and 9; Berrien et aI., 1978), but were common during

late winter and early spring in Powles and Stender's

(1976) survey of the South Atlantic Bight. Collections

oflarvae coincide with the distribution of adults, whose

northernmost limit is North Carolina (Gutherz, 1967).

Absence of Certain Taxa

Conspicuously absent from our collections was the genus Mugil, especially Mugil cephalus which is a winter

spawning, estuarine-dependent species (Powles and

Stender, 1976; Ross and Epperly, 1985). Mugilare commonly captured in neuston tows (Fahay, 1975; Powles

and Stender, 1976) but are not commonly collected in

standard bongo tows (Powles and Stender, 1976; Berrien

et aI., 1978). Other winter spawning taxa whose larvae

are known to be neustonic and not commonly collected

in ·this study are the Mullidae and Scomber (Powles and

Stender, 1976). The gadid Urophycis, which was abundant in our collections (Table 6), is even more common in neuston tows (Powles and Stender, 1976) and

was probably undersampled in this study. This indicates

the need to include neuston tows in ichthyoplankton

surveys and points to one limitation of this study.

Conclusions _

Larvae of winter spawning estuarine-dependent species

were a major component of the ichthyoplankton in

Onslow Bay, North Carolina. Most ofthese (B. tyrannus,

L. xanthuTUs, M. undulatus, Paralichthys spp.) are valuable commercial or recreational species (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1992) and, with the exception of

larval P. albigutta and P. lethostigma, are readily identifiable. Results from our study suggest that future studies

examining the relationship between primary and secondary production, larval fish abundance, and the front

separating warm Gulf Stream waters from cooler shelf

waters would be useful. Understanding the early life

history strategies of cooccurring, strikingly different

life history types (e.g. estuarine-dependent and mesopelagic species) or morphologically similar estuarinedependent and non-estuarine-dependent species (e.g.

the clupeids B. tyrannus and E. teres) through comparative studies should provide insight into biological mechanisms that enable transport to favorable habitats. Innovative sampling techniques need to be developed to

capture larvae of reef fishes, such as P. pagrus and

Mycteroperca.

Acknowledgments _

We wish to express our appreciation to all those individuals who participated in the cruises, including the

crew of the RV John deWoLJ II. Special thanks to Dean

Ahrenholz, Stanley Warlen, two anonymous reviewers

who made valuable suggestions, and Mark Fonseca who

provided valuable computer programming expertise.

This work was supported in part by a cooperative agreement between NMFS and the U.S. Department ofEnergy.

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16 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

,-----------------------_.__._----------------,

Appendix Table 1

Relative abundance of ichthyoplankton by station during November 1979. An asterisk (*)

indicates taxa that are exclusively "tropical" (see definitions in Methods).

Station

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

Family

Sciaenidae

Clupeidae

Engraulidae

Unidentified

Syngnathidae

No samples

Bothidae

Callionymidae

Clupeidae

Cynoglossidae

Elopidae

Engraulidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Ophichthidae

Ophidiidae

Sciaenidae

Serranidae

Synodontidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Carangidae

Engraulidae

Labridae

Ophichthidae

Pomacentridae

Scaridae

Sciaenidae

Scorpaenidae

Triglidae

No samples

No samples

Taxon

Unidentified

Brevoortia tyrannus

Engraulis eurystole

Syngnathus sp.

Bothus sp.

Citharichthys sp.

Unidentified

Unidentified

Brevoortia tyrannus

Symphurus sp.

Elops saurus

Engraulis eurystole

Uniden tified

Cyclothone sp.*

Ophichthus sp.

Ophidion selenops

Otophidium omostigmum

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Serraninae

Unidentified

Etropw sp.

Derapterus punctatus

Engraulis eurystole

Hemipteronotus sp.

Ophichthus sp.

Abudefduf taurus

Unidentified

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Unidentified

Prionotus sp.

Relative abundance

(No./I00 mg

)

0.9

0.9

0.9

1.8

3.1

1.3

2.2

8.1

1.3

6.3

1.3

1.6

3.4

3.8

1.3

1.7

1.6

1.6

43.2

229.9

3.2

1.6

13.7

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.6

3.3

56.9

1.6

8.1
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 17

Appendix Table 2

Relative abundance of ichthyoplankton by station during December 1979. Asterisks indicate

taxa that are exclusively "tropical" (*) or exclusively lower shelf (**) (see definitions in Methods).

Station

11

12

13

14

15

16

Family

Bothidae

Engraulidae

Sciaenidae

Unidentified

Balistidae

Bothidae

Ophichthidae

Sciaenidae

Bothidae

Gobiidae

Sciaenidae

Unidentified

Balistidae

Bothidae

Callionymidae

Clupeidae

Gadidae

Ophidiidae

Sciaenidae

Syngnathidae

Triglidae

Un iden tified

Myctophidae

Ophichthidae

Sciaenidae

Unidentified

Acanthuridae

Ariommatidae

Bothidae

Bregmacerotidae

Callionymidae

Carangidae

Caristiidae

Centriscidae

Ceratiidae

Congridae

Gonostomatidae

Myctophidae

Nomeidae

Taxon

Scophthalmus aquosus

Anchoa hepsetus

Engraulis eurystole

Micropogonias undulatus

Unidentified

Paralichthys albigutta

Scophthalmus aquosus

Myrophis punctatus

Micropogonias undulatus

Paralichthys lethostigma

Paralichthys sp.

Scophthalmus aquosus

Gobionellus sp.

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Unidentified

Bothus sp.

Unidentified

Brevoortia tyrannus

Unidentified

Urophycis ?'egia

Unidentified

Leiostomus xanthurus

Hippocampus erectus

Prionotus sp.

Unidentified*

Unidentified

Micropogonias undulatus

Acanthurus sp.

Ariomma sp.

Bothus sp.

Etropus sp.

Uniden tified

Bregmaceros sp.* Uniden tified

Selar crumenophthalmus

Caristius sp.*

Macroramphosus sp.** U niden tified*

Unidentified

Cyclothone sp.* Uniden tified*

Diogenichthys atlanticus*

Hygophum hygomii*

Notoscopelus sp.* Unidentified*

Psenes sp.*

Relative abundance

(No./I00 m3)

1.0

3.7

0.9

1.9

0.9

1.0

2.5

2.9

1.3

1.8

5.6

7.0

4.9

2.8

5.6

4.6

2.8

4.1

2.0

2.3

4.1

22.4

4.6

6.1

4.6

2.3

8.0

5.5

7.0

1.8

1.8

3.5

1.9

4.2

1.6

2.8

1.4

1.4

1.6

6.6

1.9

7.0

1.9

1.4

8.4

2.8

2.8

1.4

1.4

5.5

1.4
18 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Appendix Table 2 (Continued)

Station

17

Family

Scaridae

Sciaenidae

Serranidae

Stomiidae

Synodontidae

Unidentified

Acan th uridae

Antennariidae

Apogonidae

Argentinidae

Ariommatidae

Balistidae

Bothidae

Bramidae

Bregmacerotidae

Callionymidae

Carangidae

Centriscidae

Chiasmodontidae

Clupeidae

Congridae

Cynoglossidae

Gadidae

Gempylidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Muraenidae

Myctophidae

Ophich thidae

Ophidiidae

Paralepididae

Photichthyidae

Scaridae

Sciaenidae

Scopelarchidae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Stomiidae

Synodontidae

Un iden tified

Taxon

Unidentified

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Anthias sp.

Epinephelini

Stomias sp.* Uniden tified

Acanthurus sp.

Antennarius sp.

Unidentified

Unidentified

Ariomma sp.

Un iden tified

Bothus sp.

Cyclopsetta jimlJriata

Pterycombus brama**

Bregmaceros sp.*

Unidentified

Selar crumenophthalmus

Unidentified

Macroramphosus sp.** Unidentified*

Etrumeus teres

Ariosoma sp.

Unidentified

Symphurus sp.

Urophycis sp.

Gempylus serpens*

Unidentified

Cyclothone sp.* Unidentified*

Unidentified

Lampadena luminosa*

Unidentified*

Lampanyctus sp.*

Myrophis punctatus

Ophichthus sp.

Brotula barbata*

Ophidion sp.

n iden tified

Unidentified*

Vinciguenia nimbaria*

V. powniae*

Unidentified

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Unidentified*

Scorpaena sp.

Unidentified

Anthias sp.

Anthiinae

Serraninae

Stomias sp.*

Unidentified

Relative abundance

(No./I00 m3 )

2.8

7.0

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.9

1.4

16.2

1.6

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.5

0.3

0.6

0.6

0.3

0.8

0.6

1.5

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.5

0.8

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

1.3

2.7

0.3

0.3

3.2

0.6

0.3

0.5

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.6

0.3

0.3

0.8

1.1

0.5

0.3

0.6

0.9

0.3

0.3

0.6

0.3

0.3

11.0

L- . _
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 19

Appendix Table 2 (Continued)

Station

18

Family

Apogonidae

Balistidae

Bothidae

Bregmacerotidae

Carangidae

Chiasmodontidae

Clupeidae

Congridae

Engraulidae

Gadidae

Gempylidae

Gonostomatidae

Holocentridae

Myctophidae

Ophichthidae

Ophidiidae

Paralepididae

Scaridae

Sciaenidae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Synodontidae

Un iden tified

Taxon

Uniden tified

Unidentified

Bothus sp.

Cyclopsetta fimbriata

Etropus microstomus

Etropus sp.

Bregmaceros sp.* Decapterus macarellus

Hemicaranx amblyrhynchus

Unidentified

Unidentified*

Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus teres

Unidentified

Anchoa hepsetus

Engraulis eurystole

Urophycis sp.

Diplospinus multistriatus*

Unidentified*

Cyclothone sp.* Unidentified*

Unidentified

Unidentified*

Myrophis punctatus

Uniden tified

Ophidion selenops

Unidentified

Uniden tified*

Unidentified

Leiostomus xanthuTUs

Micropogonias undulatus

Unidentified

Anthias sp.

Serraninae

Unidentified

Relative abundance

(No./I00 m3 )

0.3

0.3

1.6

0.3

0.6

2.2

0.3

0.3

0.6

4.1

0.3

0.6

1.6

0.3

0.3

1.3

0.6

0.3

0.3

1.0

0.3

0.3

2.5

0.3

1.6

1.6

1.6

0.6

1.6

45.4

6.0

1.0

0.3

0.6

1.0

28.5
20 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Appendix Table 3

Relative abundance of ichthyoplankton by station during January 1980. An asterisk (*)

indicates taxa that are exclusively "tropical" (see definitions in Methods).

Station

II

12

13

14

15

Family

Bothidae

Clupeidae

Cynoglossidae

Gobiidae

Ophichthidae

Sciaenidae

Sparidae

Clupeidae

Clupeidae

Gadidae

Sciaenidae

Sparidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Carangidae

Clupeidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

Myctophidae

Ophich th idae

Photich thyidae

Sciaenidae

Sparidae

Syngnathidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Callionymidae

Carangidae

Clupeidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Myctophidae

Ophichthidae

Ophidiidae

Paralepididae

Sciaenidae

Serranidae

Taxon

Unidentified

Brevoortia tyrannus

Symphurus sp.

Uniden tified

Ophichthus sp.

Leiostomus xanthurus

Lagodon rhomboides

Brevoortia tyrannus

Brevoortia tyrannus

Urophycis regia

Leiostomus xanthurus

Lagodon rhomboides

Citharichthys gymnorhinus*

Citharichthys sp.

Paralichthys dentatus

Paralichthys sp.

Unidentified

Unidentified

Brevoortia tyrannus

Urophycis Jloridiana

Urophycis regia

Unidentified

Unidentified*

Apterichtus ansp*

Myrophis punctatus

Ophichthus sp.

Vinciguerria nimbaria*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Lagodon ,homboides

Un iden tified

Syngnathus sp.

Citharichthys sp.

Etropus sp.

Paralichthys dentatus

Paralichthys sp.

Unidentified

Unidentified

Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus teres

Urophycis regia

Unidentified

Unidentified*

Unidentified*

Myrophis punctatus

Unidentified*

Unidentified*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Diplectrum sp.

Relative abundance

(No./I00 m3)

0.7

2.8

0.7

0.7

0.7

4.2

0.7

1.6

22.3

9.8

0.9

2.2

1.9

4.2

4.9

6.5

7.1

2.1

1.6

14.6

1.6

17.1

2.1

1.0

1.6

1.9

1.9

1.0

137.2

2.7

3.5

4.2

1.9

9.1

4.5

7.2

2.0

1.5

2.0

1.1

2.0

3.2

15.4

3.0

0.8

0.9

2.0

3.0

1.5

10.8

4.7

3.0
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 21

Appendix Table 3 (Continued)

Station

16

17

18

Family

Sparidae

Syngnathidae

Synodontidae

Triglidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Clupeidae

Engraulidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Myctophidae

Ophichthidae

Paralepididae

Photichthyidae

Sciaenidae

Serranidae

Sparidae

Syngnathidae

Uniden tified

No samples

No samples

Taxon

Lagodon rhomboides

Uniden tified

Syngnathus sp.

Unidentified

Prionotus sp.

Citharichthys sp.

Etropus sp.

Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus teres

Engraulis eurystole

Urophycis regia

Unidentified

Uniden tified*

Diaphus sp.*

Hygophum sp.* Ophichthus sp.

Stemonosudis intermedia*

Unidentified*

Vinciguerria nimbaria*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Diplectrum sp.

Lagodon rhomboides

Syngnathus sp.

Uniden tified

Relative abundance

(No./I00 m3)

14.9

63.3

l.l

1.5

3.7

21.1

1.4

5.8

1.0

8.7

1.0

6.0

1.2

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.0

1.0

1.4

4.9

3.9

1.0

1.0

8.7

1.0

1.4

31.0
22 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Appendix Table 4

Relative abundance of ichthyoplankton by station during February 1980. Asterisks indicate

taxa that are exclusively "tropical" (*) or exclusively lower shelf (**) (see definitions in text).

------_.--_._--------------'

Station

11

12

13

14

Family

Sparidae

Gadidae

Gonostomatidae

Myctophidae

Photich thyidae

Sciaenidae

Sparidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Clupeidae

Eleotridae

Gadidae

Haemulidae

Myctophidae

Sciaenidae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Sparidae

Stromateidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Bregmacerotidae

Carapidae

Clupeidae

Cynoglossidae

Engraulidae

Gadidae

Gempylidae

Gonostomatidae

Labridae

Myctophidae

Nemichthyidae

Notosudidae

Ophichthidae

Ophidiidae

Paralepididae

Taxon

Lagodon rhomboides

Stenotomus chrysops

Urophycis jloridiana

U. regia

Unidentified*

Ceratoscopelus maderensis*

Diogenichthys atlanticus*

Hygophum sp.*

Unidentified*

Vinciguerria attenuata*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Lagodon rhomboides

Unidentified

Bothus sp.

Paralichthys albigutta

Brevoortia tyrannus

Dormitator maculatus

Enchelyopus cimbrius

Urophycis regia

Uniden tified

Ceratoscopelus maderensis*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Helicolenus dactylopterus

Diplectrum Jormosum

Lagodon rhomboides

Peprilus triacanthus

Etropus microstomus

Etropus sp.

Paralichthys albigutta

P. dentatus

P. lethostigma

Paralichthys sp.

Unidentified

BregmaCl'ros sp*

Echiodon sp.* Etrumeus teres

Symphurus sp.

Engraulis eurystolr

Enchelyopus cimbrius

Urophycis jloridiana

U. regia

Diplospinus multistriatus*

Cyclothone sp.* Hemipteronotus sp.

Diogenichthvs atlanticus*

Unidentified*

Lampanyctus sp.*

Unidentified

-Scopelosaurus mauli*

Unidentified

Ophidion grayi

Unidentified

Lestidiops jayakari*

Relative abundance

(No.jl00 m 3)

0.8

0.7

0.8

0.8

1.6

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

1.4

2.3

1.6

1.6

8.4

3.4

1.6

3.4

1.5

6.8

13.5

1.6

1.5

1.6

1.9

5.0

7.6

6.8

4.1

1.6

1.8

4.2

4.1

1.4

1.8

2.5

1.6

1.6

4.6

4.2

1.6

2.2

1.6

1.8

5.6

1.6

1.6

1.5

1.6

3.1

1.6

1.8
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 23

Appendix Table 4 (Continued)

Station

15

Family

Scaridae

Sciaenidae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Sparidae

Synodontidae

Triglidae

Unidentified

Apogonidae

Ariommatidae

Bothidae

Callionymidae

Carangidae

Centrolophidae

Chaetodontidae

Clinidae

Clupeidae

Cynoglossidae

Engraulidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Labridae

Lophiidae

Malacanthidae

Myctophidae

Ophichthidae

Ophidiidae

Paralepididae

Sciaenidae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Sparidae

Stromateidae

Taxon

Unidentified

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Helicolenus dactylopterus

Unidentified

Anthias sp.

Centropristis sp.

Diplectrum sp.

Lagodon rhomboides

Pagrus pagrus

Synodus sp.

Uniden tified

Prionotus sp.

Unidentified

Ariomma regulus*

Etropus crossotus

E. microstomus

Etropus sp.

Paralichthys albigutta

P. dentatus

P. lethostigma

Paralichthys sp.

Unidentified

Callionymus sp.

Seriola dumerili

Unidentified

Hyperoglyphe sp.

Chaetodon sp.

Unidentified*

Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus teres

Symphurus sp.

Anchoa hepsetus

Engraulis eurystole

Enchelyopus cimbrius

Urophycis floridiana

U. regia

Microgobius sp.

Unidentified

Cyclothone sp.* Hemipteronotus sp.

Lophius americanus

Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps

Hygophum sp.*

Un iden tified*

Unidentified

Lepophidium profundorum**

Ophidion grayi

Unidentified

Unidentified*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Helicolenus dactylopterus

Anthias sp.

Diplectrum sp.

Lagodon rhomboides

Peprilus triacanthus

Relative abundance

(No,fl00 m 3)

1.6

41.7

3.5

2.1

1.4

1.5

1.6

1.5

2.7

1.6

3.5

1.6

1.5

15.3

1.2

1.4

5.8

3.4

7.0

5.6

6.3

5.0

6.2

3.2

1.9

1.3

3.2

1.0

1.0

1.9

15.9

21.8

2.7

1.7

1.3

1.7

9.7

16.3

1.7

3.0

1.9

1.4

1.0

1.9

1.0

2.2

1.3

2.4

4.9

4.2

1.0

20.3

2.7

1.5

1.0

2.1

21.8

1.4
24 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Appendix Table 4 (Continued)

Station

16

17

Family

Syngnathidae

Synodontidae

Tetraodontidae

Triglidae

Uniden tified

Ariommatidae

Bothidae

Bregmacerotidae

Centriscidae

Clupeidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Labridae

Lophiidae

Myctophidae

Ophichthidae

Photich thyidae

Sciaenidae

Scomberesocidae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Synodontidae

Triglidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Clupeidae

Congridae

Cynoglossidae

Engraulidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Myctophidae

Nemichthyidae

Nomeidae

Taxon

Syngnathus sp.

Unidentified

Unidentified

Unidentified

Ariommasp.

Bothus sp.

Etropus microstomus

Paraliehthys sp.

Paraliehthys sp.

Uniden tified

Bregrnaeeros sp.*

Macroramphosus sp.**

Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus teres

Urophyeis floridiana

U. regia

Urophyeis sp.

Unidentified

Cyclothone sp.* Hemipteronotus sp.

Lophius amerieanus

Unidentified*

Unidentified

Vineiguerria nimbaria*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Seomberesox saurus

Helieolenus daetylopterus

Unidentified

Anthias sp.

Dipleetrum sp.

Unidentified

Unidentified

Prionotus sp.

Bothus sp.

Cithariehthys cornutus**

C. gymnorhinus*

Cithariehthys sp.

Etropus microstomus

Etropus sp.

Paraliehthys dentatus

Paraliehthys sp.

Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus terei

Unidentified

Symphurus sp.

Engrau1is eurystole

Urophyeis sp.

Unidentified

Cyclothone sp.* Gonostoma elongatum*

U niden tified *

Uniden tified*

Unidentified

Psenes pellucidus*

Relative abundance

(No./I00 m3 )

2.2

1.5

1.3

5.1

12.2

1.1

1.4

2.6

2.7

1.7

10.5

1.6

1.1

1.1

2.2

8.0

2.8

11.3

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.1

1.5

1.7

1.1

2.3

1.1

1.1

5.3

1.4

1.1

1.1

1.4

2.2

2.2

15.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.5

0.9

0.3

0.3

0.3

3.8

0.3

0.5

0.3

6.5

0.5

1.4

0.3

0.6

2.7

0.3

0.3
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 25

Appendix Table 4 (Continued)

Station

18

Family

Ophichthidae

Ophidiidae

Sciaenidae

Scomberesocidae

Scorpaenidae

Stomiidae

Synodontidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Bregmacerotidae

Callionymidae

Carangidae

Centriscidae

Centrolophidae

Clupeidae

Congridae

Cynoglossidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Melamphaidae

Moridae

Myctophidae

Ophichthidae

Paralepididae

Photich thyidae

Priacanthidae

Scaridae

Sciaenidae

Scomberesocidae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Synodontidae

Tetraodontidae

Unidentified

Taxon

Ophichthus sp.

Unidentified

Unidentified

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Scomberesox saurus

Helicolenus dactylopterus

Unidentified*

Unidentified

Bothus sp.

Citharichthys gymnorhinus*

Cyclopsetta fimbriata

Etropus sp.

Uniden tified

Bregmaceros sp.* Unidentified

Un iden tified

Macroramphosus sp.** Hyperoglyphe sp.

Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus teres

Uniden tified

Symphurus sp.

Enchelyopus cimbrius

Urophycis sp.

Unidentified

Cyclothone sp.* Unidentified*

Melamphaes simms**

Unidentified**

Uniden tified*

Ophichthus sp.

Unidentified

Lestidiops affinis*

Vinciguerria poweriae*

Uniden tified

Uniden tified

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Unidentified

Scomberesox saurus

Helicolenus dactylopterus

Unidentified

Anthiinae

Serraninae

Unidentified

Unidentified

Relative abundance

(No.jl00 m 3 )

0.3

0.6

0.9

0.3

0.3

0.3

1.0

0.3

0.7

7.7

0.8

0.8

0.3

0.4

1.2

0.3

0.3

0.6

0.5

0.3

3.2

10.2

0.3

0.3

0.3

5.9

2.0

1.3

1.4

0.3

0.3

1.8

0.3

0.3

0.3

1.1

0.3

0.3

1.8

0.3

0.3

0.7

3.7

2.6

0.3

0.6

1.1

0.3

19.9
26 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Appendix Table 5

Relative abundance of ichthyoplankton by station during March 1980. Asterisks indicate taxa

that are exclusively Caribbean (*) or exclusively lower shelf (**) (see definitions in Methods).

Station

11

12

13

14

15

Family

1 0 larvae collected

Bothidae

Clupeidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Clupeidae

Gadidae

GonosLOmatidae

MycLOphidae

Ophidiidae

Sciaenidae

Serranidae

Sparidae

Stromateidae

Syngnathidae

Bothidae

Clupeidae

Cynoglossidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

MycLOphidae

Photichthyidae

Sciaenidae

Synodontidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Bregmacerotidae

Carangidae

Centriscidae

Clupeidae

Cynoglossidae

Gadidae

Gobiidae

Gonostomatidae

Mullidae

Myctophidae

Ophidiidae

Taxon

Paraliehthys sp.

Brevoortia tyrannus

l::trupus sp.

Paraliehthys sp.

Brevoortia t~rannus

Enehelyopus eimbrius

Urophyeis regia

Unidentified*

Hygophum sp.* Unidentified

Leiostomus xanthurus

Diplectmm sp.

Lagodon rhomboides

Peprilus triacanthus

Syngnathus sp.

Etropus sp.

Paraliehthys sp.

Brevoortia tyranmls

Symphurus diomedianus

S. plagiusa

Enehelyopus cimbrius

Urophyeis regia

Unidentified

Unidentified*

Vineiguerria nimbaria*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Micropogonias undulatus

Synodus sp.

Unidentified

Etropus microstomus

Paraliehtllys dentatus

P. squamilentus

Bregrnaeeros sp.* Unidentified

Macroramphosus sp.** Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus teres

Symphurus sp.

Urophyeis Jloridiana

U. regia

Unidentified

Cyclothone sp.* Mullus auratus

Ceratoseopelus sp.* Unidentified*

Lepophidium proJundomm**

Ophidion grayi

O. selenops

Ophidion sp.

Unidentified

Relative abundance

(No.jl00 m 3)

0.9

1.0

1.0

2.6

7.9

19.3

2.6

2.9

1.0

2.7

5.4

2.3

5.0

3.9

2.4

1.0

7.2

2.9

2.9

4.7

17.1

1.1

3.8

2.9

5.7

2.9

11.4

2.9

2.3

5.7

7.0

14.2

3.7

1.0

1.1

3.0

1.0

10.7

11.6

3.2

12.2

35.6

3.4

1.1

1.1

1.1

2.6

4.1

11.9

6.3

6.1

1.6
Powell and Robbins: Ichthyoplankton in Onslow Bay, North Carolina 27

Appendix Table 5 (Continued)

Relative abundance

Station Family Taxon (No./100 m3 )

Sciaenidae Leiostornus xanthurus 13.5

Micropogonias undulatus 1.7

Anthias sp. 2.2

Serranidae Centropristis sp. 2.0

Diplectrum sp. 4.7

Mycteroperca sp. 2.4

Sparidae Lagodon rhomboides 8.8

Stromateidae Peprilus triacanthus 5.9

Syngnathidae Unidentified 2.0

Synodon tidae Unidentified 2.3

Triglidae Prionotus sp. 1.0

Unidentified 14.7

16 Balistidae Canthidermis maculatus* 1.1

Belonidae Unidentified 1.8

Bothidae Bothus sp. 1.7

Cyclopsetta fimbriata 1.4

Etropus sp. 4.1

Paralichthys squamilentus 1.1

Unidentified 1.3

Bregmacerotidae Bregmaceros sp* 1.7

Carangidae Oligoplites saurus 1.8

Un iden tified 0.9

Clupeidae Brevoortia tyrannus 4.4

Etrumeus teres 18.2

Cynoglossidae Symphurus sp. 1.8

Gadidae Urophycis floridiana 1.8

U. regia 4.5

Holocen tridae Holocentrus sp. 1.7

Lophiidae Lophius americanus 3.2

Myctophidae Unidentified* 2.1

Ophichthidae Unidentified 1.8

Ophidiidae Ophidion selenops 1.1

Unidentified 1.8

Photichthyidae Vinciguerria nimbaria* 1.1

Sciaenidae Leiostomus xanthurus 0.9

Scombridae Scomberjaponicus 3.6

Scorpaenidae Helicolenus dactylopterus 1.7

Serranidae Anthias sp. 1.8

Diplectrum sp. 1.7

Epinephelini 2.0

Syngnathidae Unidentified 1.8

Synodontidae Unidentified 2.3

Tetraodontidae Sphoeroides sp. 1.8

Unidentified 15.5

17 Ariommatidae Ariomma regulus* 0.4

Blenniidae Unidentified 0.4

Bothidae Botlms sp. 1.0

Citharirhthys sp. 0.4

Etropus sp. 1.0

Bregmacerotidae Bregmaceros sp.* 0.4

Carangidae Un iden tified 3.0

Clupeidae Brevoortia tyrannus 6.9

Etrumeus teres 20.6

Engraulidae Engraulis eurystole 0.4

Gobiidae Unidentified 1.0

Gonostomatidae Cyclothone sp.* 0.8
28 NOAA Technical Report NMFS 120

Appendix Table 5 (Continued)

Station

18

Family

Kyphosidae

Lophiidae

Myctophidae

Nomeidae

Sciaenidae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Synodon tidae

Triglidae

Unidentified

Bothidae

Bregmacerotidae

Carangidae

Clupeidae

Gempylidae

Gobiidae

Myctophidae

Ophidiidae

Photichthyidae

Scaridae

Scombridae

Scorpaenidae

Serranidae

Stromateidae

Synodontidae

Unidentified

Taxon

Kyphosus .,cetatnx

J,ophius americanus

Unidentified*

Psenes pellucidus*

Leiostomus xanthurus

Helicolenus dactylopterus

Centrupristis sp.

Trachinocephalus myops

Unidentified

Unidentified

Bothus sp.

Etropus microstomus

Unidentified

B-regmaarus sp*

Decapterus sp.

Brevoortia tyrannus

Etrumeus teres

Diplospinus rltultistriatus*

Unidentified

Diogenichthys atlanticus*

Unidentified

Vinciguema sp.* Unidentified

Scomber japonicus

Unidentified

Antkias sp.

Dipleetrurll,p.

Peprilus triacanthus

Unidentitied

Relative abundance

(No./IOO m3 )

1.0

1.0

8,6

0.4

2,0

L1

0.4

1.0

1.4

2,0

26.5

1.1

1.1

0.4

0.8

1.1

2.8

10.2

0.4

1.1

0.4

1.1

0.4

1.1

2.1

0.4

0.4

0.7

1.1

0.8

18.9