On pelagic fishes captured in oceanic waters of the northern part of the Central Atlantic Ocean in autumn 2019 (results of the 44–45th research cruises of the r/v Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov)

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Abstract

Data on catches in open waters of the northern tropical part of the Central Atlantic are presented for 16 species of fish from eight families. New findings of the flying fishes Cheilopogon furcatus, C. nigricans and Prognichthys occidentalis, halfbeaks Oxyporhamphus micropterus similis and Hemiramphus balao in the study area allow us to somewhat update current ideas about the distribution of these species. Our collections show a sharp dominance in numbers of four-winged flying fishes (subfamily Cypselurinae) over two-winged flying fish (subfamily Exocoetinae), which dominated the study area in previous years. In addition, within the subfamily Cypselurinae, the nerito–oceanic species Hirundichthys affinis, C. nigricans and P. occidentalis, which were previously absent or rare in the study area, began to quantitatively predominate over the oceanic species H. speculiger, C. exsiliens and P. glaphyrae. We attribute all these changes to invasion of large quantities of sargasso seaweeds (genus Sargassum) in the study area, which apparently facilitated colonization of open ocean waters by previously rare species. Large quantities of sargasso weeds may also lead in the future to the increasingly frequent appearance in the open waters of the tropical Atlantic of coastal species characteristic of flotsam, such as Lobotes surinamensis, Caranx crysos and H. balao.

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About the authors

I. B. Shakhovskoy

Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: ilisha@yandex.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

D. Yu. Malikova

Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: ilisha@yandex.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

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2. Fig. 1. The route of the 44th and 45th voyages of the research vessel “Akademik Nikolai Strakhov” (⚊) and the location of the stations (✖) where fish catches were made.

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3. Fig. 2. Fish caught during the 44th and 45th voyages of the research vessel “Akademik Nikolai Strakhov”: a – Exocoetus obtusirostris SL 177 mm, station 44003; б – E. volitans SL 180 mm, station 44001; в – Cheilopogon exsiliens SL 175 mm, station 45036; г – C. furcatus SL 206 mm, station 44002; д – C. nigricans SL 184.5 mm, station 44004; e – Hirundichthys affinis SL 200 mm, station 44007; ж – H. speculiger SL 198 mm, 19°20′ N, 31°20′ W; з — Prognichthys occidentalis SL 164 mm, 7°32′ N, 36°40′ W; и — Prognichthys sp. (occidentalis?) SL 141 mm, station 44003; к — Hemiramphus balao SL 184 mm, station 45052; л — Oxyporhamphus micropterus similis SL 142 mm, station 45004; м — Lobotes surinamensis SL 260 mm, station 45009; н — Caranx crysos SL 300 mm, station 45050; o — Phtheirichthys lineatus SL 440 mm, station 45011; п — Gempylus serpens SL 500 mm, station 45031.

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4. Fig. 3. Distribution of Cheilopogon furcatus in the Atlantic Ocean (after Parin, Belyanina, 1998, with additions): (⚫, ■) — fish SL < 200 mm, (⚪, □) — SL ≥ 200 mm, (◩) — SL both < 200 and ≥ 200 mm; (⚪, ⚫) — data of Parin and Belyanina; (□, ■, ◩) — our data.

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5. Fig. 4. Distribution of Cheilopogon nigricans (according to: Parin, Belyanina, 1996, with additions): (⚫) — data of Parin and Belyanina; (□) — our data. Here and in Fig. 5: (─ ─) — northern and southern tropics.

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6. Fig. 5. Distribution of flying fish of the genus Prognichthys in the Atlantic Ocean (according to: Parin, 1999, with modifications and additions): (⊕) — P. glaphyrae, (⚪) — P. gibbifrons, (⚫) — P. occidentalis (Parin’s data); (□) — P. occidentalis (our data).

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7. Fig. 6. Distribution of Hemiramphus balao (a) and Oxyporhamphus micropterus similis (б): (⚫, ⚪) — after: Collette, Bemis, 2019; (□, ◇) — our data.

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