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OCCURRENCE AND ORIENTATION OF PARALICHTHID FLOUNDERS (BOTHIDAE: PARALICHTYS) ON AN INTERTIDAL BEACH
Citation:
Middaugh, D P. AND Jr McKenney CL. OCCURRENCE AND ORIENTATION OF PARALICHTHID FLOUNDERS (BOTHIDAE: PARALICHTYS) ON AN INTERTIDAL BEACH. JOURNAL OF THE NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 119(4):157-171, (2003).
Impact/Purpose:
Journal article
Description:
Middaugh, Douglas P. and Charles L. McKenney, Jr. 2003. Occurrence and Orientation of Flounders (Bothidae: Paralichthys) on an Intertidal Beach. J. North Carol. Acad. Sci. 119(4):157-171. (ERL,GB 1172).
The intertidal movement and burying pattern of paralichthid flounders was studied on DeVeaux Bank, a semi-permanent island at the mouth of the North Edisto River in South Carolina. A total of 1,366 flounders buried within the study site during the two yr study. The standard length of flounders burying ranged from 19 to 48 cm. The frequence of flounders digging into substrates in the upper intertidal zone to form "beds" was greater on nighttime high tides than during daytime high tides. Most flounders, 99.99%, buried in sand, the remainder in mud. There was no significant difference in the directional orientation of buried flounders and the direction of tidal currents. The orientation of flounder beds generally deviated from the orientation of tidal current flow by 10 degrees azimuth or less. Flounder beds were oriented into flood tide currents an average of 68% and 32% into ebb tide currents. Periodic washover events formed megaripples in the sand within the study site. There was a significant difference in the size distribution of flounder beds on megaripples and between megaripples. Smaller flounders were positioned on megaripples while larger individuals were found between the sand ripples. Tidal flow turbulence or water depth may have played a role in the spatial distribution of flounders in these two locations. There was a significant correlation between the standard length of flounder beds and the water depth where they occurred. Smaller flounders buried at shallower water depths than larger flounders. Avoidance of predators, including the bottlenose dolphin, could have influenced the location where flounders buried in the intertidal zone.