Abstract

GALINDO-ANAYA, Anyoly; NISPERUZA-PEREZ, Carlos A.  and  QUIROS-RODRIGUEZ, Jorge A.. Population aspects of Encope michelini (Clypeasteroida: Mellitidae) and association with the pea crab Dissodactylus crinitichelis in the Ahumadera Sector, Cispata Bay, Colombian Caribbean. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2020, vol.91, e913456.  Epub Mar 01, 2021. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2020.91.3456.

Some ecological and population aspects of the irregular echinoid Encope michelini were evaluated in the La Ahumadera sector, Cispata Bay; for this purpose, 7 field trips were made from March to September 2017. Five transects of 10 m long by 2 m wide were used at each sampling. The number of total individuals was counted in order to estimate population density, and the size of each organism and some complementary morphometric measurements were also recorded. On the other hand, the ecological relationship of this echinoid with the pea crab Dissodactylus crinitichelis was studied. Among the main results, it was obtained that the average density of E. michelini was 0.58 ± 0.14 ind m-2, in addition to presenting a multimodal size distribution, registering an average of 9.91 ± 0.25 cm. Sixty-four individuals of D. crinitichelis were found in 14.5% of the E. michelini population (405 individuals). Furthermore, factors such as the morphology of E. michelini can influence the abundance of symbionts per host and the percentage of occupied hosts.

Keywords : Crustacean; Density; Echinoderms; Size structure; Symbiosis.