Preliminary ichthyological inventory of Fresco lagoon (Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa)

The first fish inventory of the Fresco lagoon (Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa) took place from August 2018 to July 2019. Overall, 134590 specimens comprising 21 orders, 37 families, 57 genera, 75 species and 8 ecological categories were recorded. The ichthyological fauna is largely dominated by Cichlidae, the ecological category of strict estuarine forms and the species Sarotherodon melanotheron. The dominance of these taxa is reflected in low Shannon diversity and Pielou’s evenness indices. The closure of the pass during the long dry season induces a significant variation between the fish assemblages of the two long seasons. Our catches increased after the opening of the pass at the beginning of the long rainy season. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES