McBride et al.: Nursery habitats for Elops saurus 
447 
Table 2 
Sources and details of data examined from the Indian River Lagoon: sampling gear used (with mesh size); geographic zones 
sampled (see Fig. IB); diel periods (D=day; N=night; C=crepuscular); months ( l=January); years sampled during 1989-95; number 
of ladyfish collected (C (cF); and total number of sets with each net (f). 
Gear Mesh (mm) 
Zones 
Period 
Months 
Years 
C (c) 4 
f 
Lagoon-wide fixed-station survey 
21.3-m seine (340 m 2 ) 7 
3.2 
A, C-D 
D 
1-12 
1991-95 
273 (367) 
619 
21.3-m seine ( 70 m 2 ) 7 
3.2 
B 2 C, E 2 
D 
( 1-12) 2 
1991-95 
403(67) 
235 
21.3-m seine (140 m 2 ) 7 
3.2 
A, C-E 
D, C 2 
1-12 
1991-95 
42 (96) 
668 
6.1-m trawl 
3.2 3 
C-E 
D 
1-3 (4-5), 2 6-12 
1991, 2 1992-95 
7(1) 
617 
184-m gill net 
75-150 
A, D 
C 
(1-12) 2 
1991-93, 1994 2 
95 
202 
198-m gill net 
50-150 
A-D 
C, N 2 
(1-12) 2 
1994-95 
153 
126 
Lagoon-wide stratified, random station survey 
21.3-m seine (340 m 2 ) 7 
3.2 
A-E 
D, N,C 
3-5,9-11 
1990-95 
232 (218) 
977 
21.3-m seine ( 70 m 2 ) 7 
3.2 
D 2 
D, 2 C 2 
5 2 
1990 2 
0 
6 
21.3-m seine (140 m 2 ) 7 
3.2 
A-E 
D, N,C 
3-5, 9-11 
1990-95 
46 (61) 
1286 
6.1-m otter trawl 
3.2 3 
A-E 
D, N, C 
3-5,9-11 
1990-95 
1 (5) 
1501 
184-m gill net 
75-150 
A-E 
N, C 
3-5,9-11 
1990-93 
392 
319 
198-m gill net 
50-150 
A-E 
N, C 
3 2 4, 5 2 9, 2 10, 2 11 
1994-95 
457 
168 
Total 
2101 (815) 
1 Value in parentheses indicates area swept by each haul; see text for further details. 
2 Less than 30 tows for this sampling unit. 
3 Minimum mesh size used. 
4 C = late-metamorphic, juvenile, and older stages; (c) = early- or mid-metamorphic (leptocephalus) larvae. 
random sampling did not occur in all months of the year. 
Geographic distributions of age-0 ladyfish were also plot- 
ted for each of four seasons. For such maps, relative abun- 
dance was calculated as the number of age-0 ladyfish per 
haul. Values for all positive catches were categorized into 
four quartile classes (<25 th , 26-50 th , 51-75 th , and >75 th per- 
centile) before plotting, to standardize the data among gear 
types and estuary. Maximum size criteria were adjusted 
for each season to exclude fish older than age 0. 
Fish size was measured and reported as standard length 
(SL) in mm. At least 20 randomly selected ladyfish per 
sample were measured and unmeasured fish were pro- 
portionally adjusted for the length-frequency plots to re- 
flect the size structure of the entire sample! s). Sizes from 
the literature are also reported as SL and were converted 
when necessary by using the equations SL = -0.772 + 
0.787 (total length), or SL = -2.46 + 0.943 (fork length)', 
each equation was based on least squares regressions of 
measurements from 75 ladyfish that ranged from 39 to 
475 mm SL (r 2 =0.99). Mean salinity at capture was cal- 
culated for each 25-mm-SL interval, and for each estuary 
separately, by using the weighted formula 
Y ( = the salinity measured for collection i; and 
n = the total number of collections with fish in 
that 25-mm-SL interval for that estuary. 
We identified early life stages of ladyfish from their size 
and appearance. The following criteria and general termi- 
nology are from Gehringer (1959). Early-metamorphic lar- 
vae have a leptocephalus form, with a clear and laterally 
compressed body. Early-metamorphic larvae shrink as they 
develop from about 45 to 25 mm SL. Mid-metamorphic lar- 
vae are generally less than 25 mm SL. Mid-metamorphic lar- 
vae shrink to about 18 mm SL and then grow to about 25 
mm SL; they lose the leptocephalus form by the end of this 
stage. Late-metamorphic larvae have a juvenile form and 
grow from about 25 mm to 60 mm SL. After 60 mm the age-0 
fish are referred to as juveniles. Older age classes (i.e. age-1 
or age-2+) are defined by size, as inferred from length-fre- 
quency analysis. The complete size and age range of ladyfish 
in estuaries is not defined in Gehringer or other published 
literature but appears to be largely restricted to immature 
fish. 
Y. - 
Results 
Tampa Bay 
where w t = the number of ladyfish per 25-mm-SL inter- 
val for collection i\ 
In the bay-wide survey, 4422 ladyfish were captured in 
7525 21.3-m-seine hauls, 458 183-m-seine hauls, 210 
