Abstract

MONTALVO-URGEL, Hugo; SANCHEZ, Alberto J.; FLORIDO, Rosa  and  MACOSSAY-CORTEZ, Alberto A.. List of crustaceans distributed in submerged woody debris in the tropical wetlands of Pantanos de Centla, southern Gulf of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2010, vol.81, suppl., pp.121-131. ISSN 2007-8706.

The dynamics and structure of aquatic communities are affected by the habitat complexity as diversity and abundance increase with the availability of structured habitats such as coarse woody debris that provides sites used for refuge, feeding and reproduction. Manual sampling of the fauna associated with this habitat was carried out twice during the season of maximum floods and once during minimum flooding, in 18 lagoons of Pantanos de Centla with coarse woody debris. The 1 228 crustaceans collected belong to 4 orders, 11 families, 11 genera and 13 species, among which malacostracans dominated with 12 species. The 13 species of crustaceans reported here represented 17% of the total carcinofauna recorded in the freshwater ecosystems of Tabasco. The amphipod Hyalella azteca was the numerically dominant species. The distribution of Balanus improvisus, Uhlorchestia ulheri, Platychirograpsus spectabilis, Armases cinereum and Goniopsis cruentata was restricted mainly to the area of marine influence. Moreover, B. improvisus and Sphaeroma terebrans were the only 2 sessile and wood-boring species. Coarse woody debris is also an alternative habitat for the other 11 species.

Keywords : macrocrustaceans; coarse woody debris; tropical wetland; Pantanos de Centla.