Jeffrey T. Williams

“ To generate species-accumulation curves, a data matrix of presence/absence was constructed from 38 combined roving surveys, rotenone collections, and fish-habitat transects using species as variables and dives as observations (Table 2 provides details for each survey and collecting station) . The matrix was employed for actual and expected species-accumulation curves (Mao Tau) in EstimateS v.8.0 software 10. Total expected richness was estimated using Chao2 and Jack1 estimators. Table 2. Collecting stations occupied on Saba Bank, 2006-2007. ”

“ Saba Bank's fisheries and dive operations are economically significant to the small community on Saba Island (about 1500 residents) that has direct responsibility for its management.
The known fish fauna of Saba Bank prior to our survey consisted of 42 fish species. Most of these species were taken during fishery bottom-trawl surveys on Saba Bank, including two M/V Oregon stations in 1958 and nine stations in 1959, and two trawl hauls taken in 1969 by the R/V Pillsbury. Although four of these trawls were taken on or near the top of Saba Bank, nine were on the deep outer slopes. ”

“ Fore-reef sites were typically at mid to shallow depths (20 to 34 m) whereas the patch-reef sites were typically deep (35 to 38 m) . There is some evidence of habitat heterogeneity and vertical zonation for fish assemblages on Saba Bank, but more sampling is necessary to discern whether habitat or depth best explains the differences among groups.
The horizontal axis in the MDS plot represents a gradient in species richness with patch-reef and lagoonal sites having lowest richness ( Figure 2) . ”

“ Neither visual surveying nor ichthyocide collecting alone are capable of providing a comprehensive survey of coastal (or submerged atoll in the case of Saba Bank) fish species. A combination of visual surveys, ichthyocide sampling using SCUBA, and various fishing techniques must be employed to effectively assess fish-species richness in marine habitats shallow enough to be accessible to SCUBA divers. ”

“ Voucher specimens are archived at the National Museum of Natural History (USNM) and the Florida Museum of Natural History (UF) and each species with vouchers is annotated with the museum's acronym where the specimens are housed. The basis of each species record is indicated by: I – ichthyocide station, F – caught by a local fisherman and photographed, T – bottom trawl, O – visual sighting during Toller survey, V – visual sighting during RAP survey at roving and rotenone station. Lengths of specimens are recorded in mm for either standard length (SL) , total length (TL) , or fork length (FL) . ”

“ The first component (18.6% of variation explained) was dominated by ubiquitous species and most common species. Strongest loadings (negative) on the first principal component (PC1) included the four species found at all stations (Halichoeres garnoti, Serranus tigrinus, Stegastes partitus, and Thalassoma bifasciatum) and 13 species found at all but one to four of the stations. These 13 common species are rarely found at the small bank, patch-reef, and lagoonal stations and, therefore, PC1 also serves to define the fore-reef sites. ”

“ Species richness was highest on the fore reef, but 11 species were found only at lagoonal sites. A comprehensive, annotated list of the fishes currently known to occur on Saba Bank, Netherland Antilles, is provided and color photographs of freshly collected specimens are presented for 165 of the listed species of Saba Bank fishes to facilitate identification and taxonomic comparison with similar taxa at other localities. Coloration of some species is shown for the first time. ”

“ Based on results presented herein, the number of species known on Saba Bank is increased from 42 previously known species to 270 species. Expected species-accumulation curves demonstrate that the current estimate of species richness of fishes for Saba Bank under represents the actual richness, and our knowledge of the ichthyofauna has not plateaued. ”

“ Principal components 2 and 3 correspond strongly to the horizontal or species richness component on the MDS with strongest positive loadings on species typically found at the low to medium species richness stations 3, 5, 6 and 8–12 (e.g. Cryptotomus roseus, Haemulon melanurum, Halichoeres bivittatus, Astrapogon puncticulatus, and Serranus baldwini) . Strongest negative scores were on species that were frequently found at high to medium species richness stations 1, 2, 4, 7 and 8 (e.g. Hypoplectrus puella, Lythrypnus elasson, Prognathodes aculeatus, Neoniphon marianus, and Gramma loreto) . ”

“ For example, Acanthurus bahianus, Coryphopterus glaucofraenum, Coryphopterus dicrus, and Scarus taeniopterus were found at all fore-reef sites but rarely at the Small Bank, lagoonal and at least one of the patch-reef sites. The strongest positive loadings on PC1 are from 11 species only found at the lagoonal site. ”

“ Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was also conducted in PRIMER 6.1 in order to determine the fish species primarily responsible for differences among habitats.
Acknowledgments
This program was a joint initiative of the Department of Environment and Nature of the Netherlands Antilles and Conservation International. We are especially grateful to the many people who made the biodiversity survey possible, including Andy Caballero of Nature Foundation St. Maarten; David Kooistra, Stanley Peterson, and Jan Den Dulk of Saba Conservation Foundation; Shelley Lundvall, Saba Bank project manager ”

“ Females (Figure 151) lack the black spot on the cheek that is characteristic of mature males (Figure 152) . The Saba Bank population may be a distinct species in the species complex currently referred to as Starksia lepicoelia. This complex requires additional taxonomic study.
Starksia melasma Williams & Mounts, 2003—black spot blenny; USNM, I
Starksia nanodes Böhlke & Springer, 1961—dwarf blenny; USNM, I; Figure 153
The Saba Bank population may be a distinct species in the species complex currently referred to as Starksia nanodes. This complex requires additional taxonomic study. ”

“ Diodon holocanthus, 104.9 mm SL, photo by JT Williams.
doi:10.137/journal.pone.0010676.g200 Ichthyocide collections at Saba Bank yielded specimens representing 155 fish species (57% of the total fish fauna) . At Navassa Island where there were fewer visual surveys than at Saba Bank, over 70% of the fish species were collected with ichthyocide 6, at the Mona Passage islands, 61% of the fish species were collected with ichthyocide 7, and at BIRNM, 87% of the fish species were collected with ichthyocide despite their being more visual surveys in the BIRNM study 8. ”

“ A single juvenile specimen was collected in 2007. Although adults of this species have a very long first spine, our juvenile specimen has the first dorsal spine about the same length as the second. Böhlke and Chaplin 3 mention this allometric growth pattern in which the first spine is short in young specimens, but increases in length with growth. The juvenile exhibits the typical adult color pattern.
Chaunacidae—sea toads
Chaunax suttkusi Caruso, 1989—Suttkus sea toad; USNM, T
Figure 27. Ogilbia sabaji, 27.2 mm SL, photo by JT Williams.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010676.g027
Figure 28. ”

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“ Pycnomma roosevelti Ginsburg, 1939 —Roosevelt's goby; USNM, I; Figure 180
Although P. roosevelti has previously been taken from a several scattered localities around the Caribbean (Isla Providencia, Guadeloupe, Belize and Puerto Rico) , there are fewer than 10 specimens known and its fresh colors (Figure 180) have not been published previously.
Risor ruber (Rosén, 1911) —tusked goby; USNM, I ”

“ Scarus taeniopterus Desmarest, 1831—princess parrotfish; USNM, I, O, V; Figure 129, 130
Scarus vetula Bloch & Schneider, 1801—queen parrotfish; O
Sparisoma atomarium (Poey, 1861) —greenblotch parrotfish; USNM, I, O; Figure 131
Sparisoma aurofrenatum (Valenciennes, 1840) —redband parrotfish; USNM, I, O, V; Figures 132, 133, 134
Sparisoma chrysopterum (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) —redtail parrotfish; USNM, I, O; Figure 135
Sparisoma radians (Valenciennes, 1840) —bucktooth parrotfish; USNM, I, O, V; Figure 136
Sparisoma viride (Bonnaterre, 1788) —stoplight parrotfish; USNM, I, O, V ”

“ Preliminary analysis indicates that at least six undescribed new species were collected during the survey and these are indicated in the annotated list.
Citation: Williams JT, Carpenter KE, Van Tassell JL, Hoetjes P, Toller W, Etnoyer P, Smith M. (2010) Biodiversity Assessment of the Fishes of Saba Bank Atoll, Netherlands Antilles. PLoS ONE 5 (5) : e10676. ”