Abstract:
The Pearl River Estuary (PRE), an important place provides natural spawning ground and migration
channel to multiple fish species located in the northern South China Sea. Keeping in mind limited data
available on the taxonomic diversity of fishes from this region, we compiled time-series data on fish
species from the PRE collected since the 1980s, and analyze diversity at different taxonomic levels using
an inclusion index at the taxonomic level, and indexes of taxonomic diversity. Species inventory includes
18 orders, 79 families and 167 genera. Average numbers of (families, genera, species), (genera, species),
and (species) per order, family, and genus, (4.39, 9.28, 14.94), (2.11, 3.41), and (1.61) were recorded. An
average taxonomic distinctness of 75.0, and variation in taxonomic distinctness 99.8 were calculated.
Whereas, an average taxonomic distinctness reveals genetic relationships between PRE fish species to
be closer than in the East China Sea continental shelf (65.7) and Daya Bay (62.2), and more distant for
the Dongsha Islands (55.2). Based on the overall results of the present study it is concluded that species
abundance and taxonomic diversities in the PRE reflects healthy ecosystem of PRE.
Keywords:
similarity index
,
Inclusion index at taxonomic level
,
Relative abundance index
,
Pearl River Estuary