Casazza and Ross: Fishes associated with pelagic Sargassum and open water off North Carolina 
355 
combined, 33 species were collected only in association 
with Sargassum habitat, and 13 species were unique to 
open-water habitat (Table 1). 
There was a large discrepancy between Sargassum 
and open-water catches from the 2000-03 neuston 
net samples. A total of 14,123 fishes, representing 65 
species, were collected in 91 neuston tows in Sargas- 
sum habitat. Thirteen open-water tows produced no 
catch, whereas 14 open-water tows yielded 1393 fishes, 
representing 27 species (Table 2). Dominant families 
collected by neuston net in both Sargassum and open- 
water habitats were Monacanthidae (83% of S, 79% of 
OW), Carangidae (9%, 13%), and Exocoetidae (4%, 6%). 
Individuals of eight species represented 95% of the total 
Sargassum catch with neuston nets (in decreasing order 
of abundance): S. hispidus, C. crysos, C. melanurus, B. 
capriscus, M. ciliatus, S. rivoliana, P. brachypterus, and 
C. hippurus. Individuals of four species represented 93% 
Table 2 
Number of fishes collected in neuston net tows from Sargassum and open-water habitat off North Carolina during 2000-03, 
separated by day and night. Number of samples is in parentheses. Species are listed in phylogenetic order. 
Sargassum Open water Sargassum Open water 
Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night 
Species 
(47) 
(44) 
(19) 
(8) 
Species 
(47) 
(44) 
(19) 
(8) 
Cyclothone sp. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Caranx bartholomaei 
2 
1 
0 
0 
Argyropelecus aculeatus 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Caranx crysos 
342 
468 
31 
43 
Diaphus dumerilii 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Caranx ruber 
23 
33 
0 
0 
Myctophum affine 
0 
27 
0 
0 
Caranx spp. 
2 
18 
1 
1 
Myctophum obtusirostre 
0 
10 
0 
0 
Decapterus punctatus 
9 
44 
78 
1 
Myctophum punctatum 
1 
4 
0 
0 
Decapterus spp. 
4 
7 
0 
0 
Myctophum selenops 
0 
1 
0 
0 
Elagatis bipinnulata 
5 
5 
0 
0 
Myctophum sp. 
0 
1 
0 
0 
Selar crumenophthalmus 
2 
0 
0 
0 
Histrio histrio 
7 
2 
0 
0 
Selene setapinnis 
0 
0 
1 
0 
Mugilidae 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Seriola dumerili 
3 
4 
0 
0 
Ablennes hians 
6 
8 
1 
2 
Seriola fasciata 
30 
21 
4 
0 
Platybelone argalus 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Seriola rivoliana 
125 
35 
13 
0 
Tylosurus acus 
1 
2 
0 
0 
Seriola spp. 
12 
9 
3 
1 
Tylosurus spp. 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Seriola zonata 
0 
4 
1 
0 
Cheilopogon cyanopterus 
0 
6 
0 
0 
Lobotes surinamensis 
9 
1 
0 
0 
Cheilopogon exsiliens 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Kyphosus incisor 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Cheilopogon furcatus 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Kyphosus sectatrix 
11 
1 
0 
0 
Cheilopogon melanurus 
31 
365 
5 
49 
Kyphosus sp. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Cheilopogon spp. 
0 
6 
0 
0 
Abudefduf saxatilis 
5 
5 
0 
0 
Cypselurus comatus 
0 
1 
0 
0 
Istiophorus platypterus 
1 
3 
1 
1 
Hirundichthys a f finis 
0 
13 
0 
6 
Psenes cyanophrys 
0 
5 
0 
0 
Oxyporhamphus 
Batistes capriscus 
120 
109 
9 
5 
micropterus 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Canthidermis maculata 
9 
1 
0 
0 
Parexocoetus 
Canthidermis sufflamen 
23 
3 
0 
1 
brachypterus 
19 
140 
2 
17 
Xanthichthys ringens 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Prognichthys occidentalis 
9 
26 
1 
6 
Balistidae 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Euleptorhamphus velox 
1 
10 
0 
2 
Aluterus heudelotii 
48 
17 
0 
0 
Hemiramphus balao 
3 
7 
0 
0 
Aluterus monoceros 
1 
3 
0 
1 
Hemiramphus brasiliensis 
0 
21 
1 
o 
Aluterus schoepfi 
10 
7 
0 
1 
Hemiramphus spp. 
2 
31 
0 
0 
Aluterus scriptus 
31 
8 
0 
0 
Hyporhamphus 
Aluterus sp. 
0 
1 
0 
0 
unifasciatus 
0 
1 
0 
0 
Cantherhines macrocerus 
2 
3 
0 
0 
Bryx dunckeri 
2 
1 
1 
0 
Cantherhines pullus 
3 
9 
2 
0 
Hippocampus erectus 
3 
8 
0 
1 
Monacanthus ciliatus 
75 
97 
1 
6 
Hippocampus reidi 
1 
1 
0 
0 
Monacanthus tuckeri 
9 
4 
0 
0 
Hippocampus sp. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Monacanthus sp. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Syngnathus louisianae 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Stephanolepis hispidus 
7840 
3541 
681 
408 
Syngnathus pelagicus 
1 
0 
1 
0 
Stephanolepis setifer 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Fistularia sp. 
0 
0 
1 
0 
Chilomycterus sp. 
0 
1 
0 
0 
Synagrops bellus 
0 
1 
0 
0 
Diodon holocanthus 
1 
5 
0 
0 
Coryphaena equiselis 
2 
0 
0 
1 
Diodon hystrix 
1 
1 
0 
0 
Coryphaena hippurus 
13 
71 
1 
0 
Total 
8869 
5254 
840 
553 
