Spatial distribution of the estuarine ichthyofauna of the Rio Formoso (Pernambuco, Brazil), with emphasis on reef fish

The objectives of the present study were to identify species of reef fish that use the Rio Formoso estuary (northeastern Brazil) as a refuge and natural nursery and to describe the spatial distribution of the estuary fish fauna in rainy and dry seasons. A total of 5475 specimens, across 78 species and 39 families, were analyzed; 51.3% of the species were of reef origin. Among these, Eucinostomus melanopterus (Bleeker, 1863), E. gula (Cuvier, 1830), and Sphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758), in this order, were the most abundant in the upper estuary; S. greeleyi Gilbert, 1900, E. melanopteru...