Background

In the marine environment of San Cruz Island, no published references exist regarding the ecology of soft-bottom mollusks. Thus, it is important to carry out research that broadens and deepens the knowledge of this marine area and contributes to proposals of management methods and alternatives for the sustainable use of insular marine resources.

Goals

This study seeks to characterize the community composition and structure of soft-bottom mollusks of the infralitoral zone of Santa Cruz Island, and describe some of the characteristics associated with their habitat.

Methods

During August 2010, 32 samples were collected: 16 were biological samples and 16 were sediment samples. The composition, abundance, and diversity of the malacological community were analyzed using ecological indexes.

Results

695 individuals were recorded and grouped in two classes: Gastropoda with 446 organisms (5 orders, 11 families, and 19 species); the most abundant species was Siphonaria maura (18%); the class Bivalvia included 249 organisms (8 orders, 14 families, and 25 species); the most abundant species was Tellina eburnea (10%). The Gastropoda class were more abundant than the Bivalvia, i.e., 64.17% and 35% respectively. The species with major abundances and relative frequencies were the gastropods Siphonaria maura (18%) and the bivalve Septifer seteki (69%). Four trophic categories were identified: filterers (73%), herbivores (20%), carnivores (5%), and ectoparasites, the latter of which were the rarest group (2 %).

Conclusions

At this site, the specific richness (44 taxa) was lower compared to other sites from different latitudes of the western Gulf of California, likely derived from the higher energy environment of the study area that allowed only juvenile mollusks and micromollusks to be collected.