The hidden treasure: cryptobenthic fish on reefs with different uses of a Tropical Marine Protected Area.
Specialists in micro-habitats and closely associated with the reef substrate, cryptobenthic fish have a high ecological value, being responsible for transferring energy between trophic levels. Among the variables that shape cryptobenthic fish assemblages, microhabitat complexity and geomorphology are among the most relevant. We seek to understand the micro-habitat preferences of fish and how assemblages are influenced by three use zones (sustainable use-ZUS, visitation-ZV and conservation of marine life-ZPVM) in two different geomorphologies (Reef Flat = RF and Back reef lagoon = BRL) in the Costa dos Corais Environmental Protection Area. In each zone, 30 visual interference censuses were carried out, 15 by geomorphology, where the species, substrate used, depth, and complexity of the micro-habitat were recorded. The benthic composition was determined using photosquares and used to calculate the Ivlev electivity. A total of 900 individuals from 9 families and 17 species were recorded, with emphasis on the richest and most abundant Gobiidae and Labrisomidae, representing 61.5% and 20.8% of the fish recorded, respectively. Cryptobenthic fish assemblages did not show significant differences between the three zones, only between geomorphologies. As for the use of micro-habitats, we highlight the importance of the BRF of the ZPVM for Elacatinus figaro, an endemic species vulnerable to extinction, and its intimate association with the Montastraea cavernosa corals. The ZPVM fulfills its role as an area in the take, harboring greater richness, density, diversity and less dominance. It is also considered the economic potential of cryptobenthic species that can be sustainably exploited for tourism and facilitated through the understanding of the micro-habitat preference of the specie