Abstract

We examined the patterns of biogeographic diversity in estuarine, mangrove, and mud flat fish assemblages found in the tropical, subtropical, and warm and cool temperate western Pacific, including the Indo-Malayan Triangle where Pacific and Indian Ocean species occur in an area affected greatly by historic changes in sea level. In particular, we focused upon patterns of species richness, diversity and similarity in assemblage structure at 24 geographic subregions. Our examination of a data set of more than 2,500 species of inshore fishes from the region found 723 species that we considered to be estuarine, mangrove and mud flat species. Species richness and diversity were greatest in the Indo-Malayn Triangle and subregions bordering it. This level of diversity was attributed to geographic position within this well-known center of species diversity, to the tropical and subtropical environments found there, and to watershed development. In contrast, oceanic islands supported moderate to low levels of estuarine, mangrove,and mud flat& species. Our results offer a basis for comparisons of fish assemblage structure found in other regions, such as the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the western Atlantic.

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