| Bottom type (depth range) | Water characteristics1 | Main species | Assemblage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft bottoms (15–50 m) | low salinity - high temperature - suprathermoclinal | Pseudotolithus typus Dasyatis - Arius - Pteroscion - Pentanemus - Cynoglossus browni | A - SCIAENID (estuarine component) |
| mixed layer (“Liberian waters”) | Pseudotolithus senegalensis Galeoides - Brachydeuterus Ilisha - Pomadasys jubelini - Drepane - Vomer | B= SCIAENID (offshore component) | |
| Rocks/reefs (15–40 m) | Lutjanus agannes - Lethrinus Balistes forcipatus - Acanthurus - Chaetodon | C = LUTJANID | |
| Hard sand and broken corally deposits (15–70 m) | (Subsuperficial dis- continuity layer) bottom of the thermo- cline with some extension in the mixed layer | Sparus caerulostictus - Pagellus Priacanthus - Dactylopterus Epinephelus - Pseudopenaeus Raja miraletus - Balistes carolinensis | D1= “eurythermal” eurybathic element of the sparid group |
| Soft deposits (40–200 m) | Below thermocline (subtropical water) | Dentex - Lepidotrigla Paracubiceps - Uranoscopus - Pentheroscion | D = SPARID GROUP typical sparid group |
| Soft deposits (15–100 m) | From suprathermoclinal to infrathermoclinal with preference for intermediate levels (discontinuity layer) | Cynoglossus canariensis - Penaeus duorarum - Paragaleus - Scolidon - Trichiurus | A-D eurythermal eurybathic Not assigned to a group |
| PRESENT | CROSNIER (1964) |
|---|---|
| Sand | Sable |
| Coastal hard deposits | Fonds à gorgones |
| Fonds à maërl | |
| Coal | Fonds à corail |
| Muddy sand | Sable vaseuse |
| Sandy mud | Vase sableuse |
| Mud | Vase |
