Abstract

CORTES-LACOMBA, Ricardo; ALVAREZ-SILVA, Carlos  and  GUTIERREZ-MENDIETA, Francisco. An updated list of the jellyfish from Laguna de Terminos, Campeche, Mexico. Hidrobiológica [online]. 2013, vol.23, n.2, pp.209-217. ISSN 0188-8897.

The composition and abundance of the jellyfish present in 42 zooplankton samples obtained from the Laguna de Terminos, Campeche, during March and October 2009 and November 2010, were analyzed. Seven species were identified, six of them are new geographic records for the zone, and one (Phialopsis diegensis) is also a new record for the Mexican Atlantic. Considering the entire study period, the most abundant species was Helgicirrha schulzei with 52.24% followed by Bougainvillia muscus with 18.04%. The presence of P. diegensis and other previously unrecorded species in the area could be the result of the oceanic influence in the system or are invasive non-indigenous species derived from the impact of human activities and ship traffic, both activities mainly affecting the zooplankton communities of coastal lagoons.

Keywords : Abundance; composition; Jellyfish; Laguna de Terminos.