FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 81, NO. 3 



Table 3. 



-Families and species of demersal fishes taken in 57 % Yankee trawl tows in the sponge-coral habitat. South Atlantic Bight, during 



the spring of 1978. * = <0.1 kg. 



the infrequent occurrence of Stephanolepis hispidus 

 and Haemulon aurolineatum in some of these tows. 

 The widespread distribution pattern of this species 

 group is apparent in the low nodal fidelity values 

 (Fig. 7). 



Species group B consisted of an assemblage of 

 fishes that were widely distributed in night reef sam- 

 ples. Species showed very low to low constancy and 

 negative fidelity to site groups 1 through 7. Group B 

 species displayed moderate to high constancy in the 

 remaining site groups which consisted entirely of 

 night trawl tows. This wide distributional pattern 

 among night samples was reflected in the low fidelity 

 values for all site groups. 



Fishes of group C, although not very abundant, oc- 

 curred almost exclusively in night trawl tows. Species 

 in this group had low and high constancy, moderate 

 and high fidelity to site groups 8 and 9, respectively, 

 which were composed of night trawl tows from reefs 1 

 (38 m) and 2 (44 m). Synodus intermedius was the on- 

 ly species of this group that had a wide distribution in 

 other site groups regardless of time of collection. 

 Bothus robinsi and Prionotus roseus were found only 

 in site groups 8 and 9, whereas the remaining spe- 

 cies (Kathetostoma albigutta, Cyclopsetta fimbriata, 

 Ophidion selenops, Otophidium omostigmum) oc- 

 curred only in night tows of these and other site 

 groups. 



542 



