Ichthyoplankton in neritic waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana: Composition, relative abundance, and seasonality

Ichthyoplankton samples were collected monthly between November 1981 and October 1982 in neritic continental shelf waters off Louisiana. At least 48 families of fishes were represented in samples that included 107 taxa, 54 of which were identified to species. Larval densities were lowest during the winter and highest during the summer with a mean monthly density of 208/100 m super(3). Five families accounted for about 90% of total larvae: Engraulidae, Sciaenidae, Clupeidae, Carangidae, and Bothidae. The five most abundant taxa overall, in order of decreasing abundance, were anchovies (Engraulidae); Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus); Atlantic thread herring, Opisthonema oglinum ; gulf menhaden, Brevoortia patronus ; and Atlantic bumper, Chloroscombrus chrysurus .