O'Brien, C.H.Sizemore, R.K.Applied and Environmental Microbiology2010-02-152010-02-151979http://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/19597p. 928-933.Bioluminescent bacteria were found in the water column, sediment, shrimp and gastrointestinal tract of marine fishes from the semitropical estuarine environment of the East Lagoon, Galveston Island, Texas, USA. Populations in the water column decreased during cold weather while sedimentary populations persisted. The highest percentages of luminous organisms were isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of marine fish, where they persisted during 5 days of starvation. The presence of chitin temporarily increased intestinal populations. All isolates were Beneckea harveyi, whose natural habitat appears to be the gut of fish and whose free-living reservoir appears to be marine sediments.microbiologybacteriologybacteriaBeneckea harveyiecological distributionArticle