Fishes (Elasmobranchii and Actinopterygii) of Picãozinho reef, Northeastern Brazil, with notes on their conservation status

Abstract

Shallow reefs on the northeastern coast of Brazil are rich, productive and diverse environments, with great ecological and economical importance. Picaozinho is located 1,500 m off the coast of Joao Pessoa city, Paraiba state, NE Brazil. The aim of this work is to provide an updated list of the reef fishes of Picaozinho, based on a survey of approximately 350 hours of direct observation using free dive techniques, and complemented by collection data and other unpublished records. A total of 102 species of 43 families were recorded. Of these, 36 are new occurrences for the reef and seven are species that have been recently resurrected from synonymy, mainly with Caribbean species previously cited for Brazil.