Kitchens, L.L.

Rooker, J.R.

English

Aquatic Commons

 Proceedings of the 65th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute                  November 5 – 9, 2012   Santa Marta, Colombia 
Distribution of Common and Pompano Dolphinfish Larvae in the Northern Gulf of Mexico 
 
Distribución de las Larvas de Pez Delfín Común y Pompano en el Norte del Golfo de México 
 
Répartition des Larves de Coryphène Pompano et Commune dans le Nord du golfe du Mexique 
 
LARISSA L. KITCHENS and JAY R. ROOKER 
Texas A&M University,  
Department or Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Department of Marine Biology,  
200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, Texas 77553 USA. 
 
EXTENDED ABSTRACT 
Dolphinfishes are highly migratory, epipelagic species with cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical 
oceans (Gibbs and Collette 1959). The family Coryphaenidae is comprised of two species, Coryphaena hippurus (common 
dolphin) and C. equiselis (pompano dolphin), and both species support recreational and commercial fisheries worldwide 
(Oxenford 1999). Adult C. hippurus and C. equiselis are common throughout the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), however, little is 
known regarding this region’s role as spawning and/or nursery habitat of either species. The purpose of the present study 
was to describe the distribution and abundance of C. hippurus and C. equiselis larvae and early juveniles in the northern 
Gulf in order to assess the value of this area as early life habitat of these species. Additionally, environmental influences on 
larval abundance were examined in order to define suitable nursery habitat conditions for dolphinfishes. 
Ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in June and July over a four-year period (2007 to 2010) in the northern Gulf. 
Our sampling corridor (27 – 28° N and 88 – 94° W) encompassed multiple mesoscale features (Loop Current, Mississippi 
River plume, and eddies) that are assumed to serve as valuable nursery habitats for marine fishes. For all surveys, stations 
were spaced approximately 8 nautical miles apart and paired neuston nets of different mesh sizes (500 μm and 1,200 μm) 
were towed at each station through the upper meter of water for 10-minute intervals. Material captured by the nets was 
quickly sorted through in the field and fish larvae were preserved in ethanol. Additionally, salinity was recorded at each 
sampling site using a YSI data sonde. In the lab, larger dolphinfish larvae and juveniles were visually identified to the 
species level based on distinct morphological characteristics while mitochondrial DNA analysis, following the protocol of 
Rocha-Olivares and Chavez-Gonzalez (2008), was used for species identification of smaller specimens. 
Overall, 1,145 dolphinfish larvae were collected, and C. hippurus was the more abundant of the two species accounting 
for 87% of the total catch. Larvae of both species were collected during all eight surveys, and frequency of occurrence was 
high overall with C. hippurus and/or C. equiselis larvae present at 59% of the stations sampled. Percent occurrence of C. 
hippurus ranged from 42% to 76% per survey while occurrence of C. equiselis larvae was lower ranging from 9% to 27%. 
Mean density across the 8 surveys for C. hippurus and C. equiselis ranged from 0.40 to 1.60 larvae/1,000 m3 and 0.02 to 
0.20 larvae/1,000 m3, respectively. While density was significantly different among years sampled for both C. hippurus and 
C. equiselis (Figure 1), no intra-annual effect was detected for either species.  Mean density of C. hippurus peaked in 2007 
for C. hippurus (1.05 larvae/1,000 m3) and 2008 for C. equiselis (0.17 larvae/1,000 m3), while mean densities were low in 
2010 for both species (0.40 C. hippurus larvae/1,000 m3, 0.07 C. equiselis larvae/1,000 m3). Increased densities of C. 
hippurus were observed in the eastern portion of our sampling corridor and the majority of this species was collected east of 
91°W, a region largely influenced by the Loop Current and associated eddies. In contrast, C. equiselis larvae were more 
evenly distributed across the sampling corridor. Analysis of mean densities within different salinities indicate a positive 
relationship for C. hippurus abundance (Figure 2A,) with more than 90% of the catch found in waters with salinities > 32. A 
negative association between C. hippurus density and sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) was also observed (Figure 2B), 
with the majority (> 90%) of larvae collected at stations with SSHA of 12 cm or less. This suggests that C. hippurus larvae 
were abundant in cold core eddies (characterized by negative SSHA), and that larvae rarely occurred within warm core 
features (regions of high SSHA) in the Gulf.  In contrast, no obvious relationship was detected between C. equiselis density 
and salinity or SSHA; however, catches were low overall for this species so additional sampling is necessary in order to 
elucidate spatial trends in C. equiselis abundance. In general, results showed that both species were abundant and broadly 
distributed across our sampling area, and their distribution and abundance is likely influenced by physicochemical condi-
tions and the geographic position of mesoscale oceanographic features. 
 
KEY WORDS: Dolphinfish, Gulf of Mexico, fish larvae 
 
 
 
 
Page 244  65th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute  
 
LITERATURE CITED 
Gibbs, R.H. Jr. and B.B. Collette. 1959. On the identification, distribution, 
and biology of the dolphins, Coryphaena hippurus and C. equiselis. 
Bulletin of Marine Science 9:117-152. 
Oxenford, H.A. 1999. Biology of the dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) 
in the western central Atlantic: a review. Scientia Marina 63:277-
301. 
Rocha-Olivares, A. and J. Chávez-González. 2008. Molecular identifica-
tion of dolphinfish species (genus: Coryphaena) using multiplex 
haplotype-specific PCR of mitochondrial DNA. Ichthyological 
Research 55:389-393. 
Figure 1. Annual mean density (larvae /1,000 m3) of Cory-
phaena hippurus (dark grey bars) and C. equiselis (light 
grey bars) collected during surveys in the northern Gulf of 
Mexico from 2007 – 2010. Density estimates are based on 
a combination of June and July surveys.  
Error bars represent +1 standard error.  
Figure 2. Mean density (larvae /1,000 m3) of Coryphaena 
hippurus (dark grey bars) and C. equiselis (light grey bars) 
collected across the range of (A) salinity and (B) sea sur-
face height anomaly (SSHA) conditions sampled during 
surveys in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Density estimates 
are based on a combination of all surveys from 2007 – 
2010. SSHA data were obtained from the Aviso database 
using ArcGIS 9.3. Error bars represent +1 standard error.  


Distribution of Common and Pompano Dolphinfish Larvae in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

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Distribution of Common and Pompano Dolphinfish Larvae in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

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