Transport of reef lizardfish larvae by an ocean eddy in Hawaiian waters

Competent (settlement-stage) larvae of the lizardfish, Trachinocephalus myops were collected from one ocean location (near a coral reef) at times before and during a mesoscale ocean eddy event. Mesoscale ocean eddies occur periodically at this location, offshore of the island of Hawaii. Larval age was younger (t-test, P < 0.0001) for lizardfish collected at the time when a cyclonic mesoscale eddy dominated the offshore ocean flow field. This result supports two important notions: (1) that reef fish larvae have flexibility in the age at which they can transition to the reef habitat and (2) that offshore deep-sea ocean currents can be influential in larval reef fish recruitment.

Research highlights► This study was during the time of year corresponding to the end of the period of a seasonal peak in spawning by reef fishes. ► The drift patterns of several radio-tracked drogues defined a pattern of trajectories showing offshore entrainment and periodic transport near reefs. ► The otoliths from 195 larval T. myops from one off-reef location were analyzed for daily increment growth rings.