142 Mark A. Shields and Carol H. Mayes 



when the marsh was completely drained and all fish were removed and 

 preserved in 10% formalin. Standard length (SL) of all specimens was 

 measured to the nearest mm. Specimens were deposited in the Univer- 

 sity of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) Fish Collection. 



Eleven collections were made between 19 October and 20 November 

 1983. Salinity of water in the pit traps ranged from 23 ppt to 33 ppt 

 during the study, with salinities among the three pits varying no more 

 than 3 ppt on any given day. Water temperature ranged from 7° C to 

 19° C. 



The percentage of each of the three habitats in a 0.5 ha area cen- 

 tered over the pit traps was estimated visually from an aerial photo- 

 graph. TS comprised 14.5% of the available marsh habitat, SS 

 accounted for 60.9%, and JU comprised 24.6%. A Chi-square test, 

 based on the null hypothesis that fish moved at random over the marsh 

 at high tide and used each habitat in proportion to its availability, was 

 employed to measure habitat preference by F. luciae. 



RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 



A total of 32 F. luciae (mean SL 19.4 mm, range 5-33 mm) was 

 collected. The largest number trapped in one day was 12 on 11 November. 

 No F. luciae were caught on 14 November when mean water tempera- 

 ture in the pit traps was 7° C, the coldest temperature recorded during 

 our study. Since F. luciae becomes relatively inactive and therefore 

 more difficult to catch during cold weather (Byrne 1978; Kneib 1978), it 

 may have been even more abundant on Bradley Creek Marsh than our 

 limited autumn collections indicated. 



Distribution of F. luciae among the three marsh habitats was not 

 random {x^ =8.70, df=2, P<0.025). Figure 1 shows the distinct prefer- 

 ence of this species for the high Juncus marsh. Preference for high 

 marsh habitats was also reported by Byrne (1978) and Kneib (1978). 

 Avoidance of strong tidal currents and predators of the low marsh and 

 tidal creek habitats may account for this small species' preference for 

 high marsh areas (Byrne 1978). 



We concur with Byrne (1978) and Kneib (1978) that the purported 

 rarity of F. luciae is due mainly to inadequate sampling of its preferred 

 high marsh habitat. As demonstrated by Kneib and this study, the use 

 of pit traps appears to be an effective method of collecting F. luciae, 

 which tends to remain on the marsh at low tide. We beUeve the species 

 is more common and widespread than is indicated by the few published 

 reports based on the results of seining and trawling. 



