The fish and tadpole assemblages inhabiting micro-estuaries and micro-outlets along a warm-temperate section of the Eastern Cape coast were investigated over four seasons between 2015 and 2016. The specific aim of this study was to elucidate whether nekton assemblages in coastal microsystems are similar to those found in larger estuarine systems on the same coastline, and whether the presence or absence of tadpoles can indicate a difference between the two microsystem types. Oligohaline and/or freshwater conditions prevailed in micro-outlets for much of the sampling period, while micro-estuaries were mostly mesohaline. Nekton communities in micro-outlets were dominated by tadpoles (Xenopus laevis), with juvenile Pseudomyxus capensis sometimes present, while Oreochromis mossambicus, Gilchristella aestuaria, P. capensis and Mugil cephalus were the most common fish species in micro-estuaries which had an almost complete absence of tadpoles. The micro-estuaries had a low estuarine function when compared to temporarily open/closed estuaries, while the micro-outlets had very limited estuarine characteristics and an almost complete absence of fishes. Due to their restricted periods of stability and small size, micro-estuaries served as only intermediate nursery areas for small numbers of 0+ marine fish which, after less than a year, need to migrate to nearby larger estuarine systems that can provide the full range of nursery habitats for subsequent growth and development. The limited numbers of estuarine resident fishes (e.g. G. aestuaria) and freshwater fish species (e.g. O. mossambicus) confirm the marginal habitat and food availability in these microsystems for fishes that are normally abundant in other types of Eastern Cape estuaries and rivers. The results of this study confirm that there are clear distinctions between the nekton of the two microsystem types, thus making fish and tadpole assemblages a viable tool for differentiating between micro-estuaries and micro-outlets in this province.

在2015年至2016年的四个季节中，对东开普省沿海温带地区居住在微型河口和微型出口的鱼类和t类群进行了研究。本研究的特定目的是阐明沿海微系统中的nekton集合是否为类似于在相同海岸线上的较大河口系统中发现的那些，以及the的存在与否可以表明两种微系统类型之间的差异。在大部分采样期间，微孔中普遍存在低盐和/或淡水条件，而微河口大多为中盐。微型出口中的Nekton群落以t（Xenopus laevis）为主，有时会出现幼的capseudomyxus capensis。在微型河口中，几乎没有of ，莫桑比克牛，莫氏吉尔吉斯，河口吉氏菌，卡德毕克氏菌和头尾Mu是最常见的鱼类。与暂时打开/关闭的河口相比，微型河口的河口功能较低，而微型出口的河口特征非常有限，几乎没有鱼类。由于其有限的稳定时期和较小的规模，微型河口仅用作少量0+海鱼的中间育苗区，在不到一年的时间后，它们需要迁移到附近的较大河口系统，以提供完整的范围苗圃栖息地，以供随后的生长发育。河口常驻鱼类数量有限（例如，G。aestuaria）和淡水鱼类物种（例如莫桑比克臭豆）证实了这些微系统中通常在其他类型的东开普河口和河流中丰富的鱼类的边缘生境和食物供应。这项研究的结果证实，两种微系统的神经元之间有明显的区别，从而使鱼和t的组合成为区分该省微河口和微出口的可行工具。