Composition and abundance of decapod crustaceans in mixed seagrass meadows in the Paraguaná Peninsula, Venezuela

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Thalassia testudinum and Halodule wrigthii are the dominant seagrasses in the Caribbean, being common across shallow shorelines, either as monospecific or as intermixed meadows. Among the macrofauna associated with these beds, crustaceans are considered essential for the whole ecosystem functioning. However, knowledge about the associated community of decapod crustaceans in assemblages of T. testudinum and H. wrigthii is still scarce, particularly outside of protected areas. Here we report eight new decapod species for the Paraguaná Peninsula (Falcón State, Venezuela) Manning & Chace, 1971. These records represent habitat extensions and fill gaps in the geographical distribution of the species along the northern coast of South America. Furthermore, we found that statistical differences in decapod species abundance and composition are likely to be caused by the joint action of coverage and heterogeneity of the beds. Our results indicate that typical Caribbean species were the most influential in the community; nevertheless, the abundance of juvenile Penaeus schmitti Burkenroad, 1936 was notable, since they have rarely been found in these habitats. This finding highlights the role of non-protected areas as nursery habitats for economically important species. Our results show that seagrass meadows in the Paraguaná Peninsula reflect overall good health when compared to other Caribbean zones, representing an important habitat for the maintenance of crustacean populations.KEYWORDS. Caridean and penaeid shrimps, new records, Falcón state, Halodule, Thalassia.RESUMEN. Composición y abundancia de crustáceos decápodos en praderas mixtas de hierbas marinas en la península de Paraguaná, Venezuela. Thalassia testudinum y Halodule wrigthii son las hierbas marinas dominantes en el Caribe, siendo comunes en costas someras, tanto en monocultivos como en cultivos mixtos. Entre la macrofauna asociada a estas comunidades, los crustáceos son considerados esenciales para el funcionamiento del ecosistema. Sin embargo, el conocimiento sobre la comunidad de crustáceos decápodos asociada a praderas mixtas de T. testudinum y H. wrigthii es escaso, en particular fuera de zonas protegidas. En este trabajo presentamos ocho nuevas especies de decápodos para la Península de Paraguaná (estado Falcón, Venezuela) asociados a praderas mixtas de hierbas marinas: Achelous tumidulus Stimpson, 1871, Alpheus floridanus Kingsley, 1878, Chorinus heros (Herbst, 1790), Clibanarius antillensis (Stimpson, 1859), Clibanarius sclopetarius (Herbst, 1796), Latreutes parvulus (Stimpson, 1866), Panopeus occidentalis Saussure, 1857, y Processa fimbriata Manning & Chace, 1971. Estos registros representan extensiones de hábitat y completan brechas en la distribución geográfica de las especies a lo largo de la costa septentrional de Sudamérica. Diferencias estadísticas en la abundancia y composición de las especies de decápodos fueron posiblemente causadas por la acción conjunta de cobertura y heterogeneidad de las praderas. Las especies más influyentes e...

First record of Alpheus platycheirus Boone, 1927 (Crustacea, Alpheidae) on the northwest coast of Venezuela

“…We report A. platycheirus for the first time in Venezuela, from the Paraguaná Peninsula (Falcón State). In this study, A. platycheirus was found at a remarkably shallow depth (between 0.17 and 0.6 m) in association with well-developed seagrass beds that were delimited by fringing coral reefs (Mariño et al, 2018). This shallow habitat is unusual for a species that mainly inhabits muddy bottoms.…”

“…However, it is essential to continue surveying the Venezuelan marine carcinofauna because there are still information gaps in the species diversity. For example, species listed for the Caribbean show a discontinuous distribution, since they have not yet been registered on the Venezuelan coast (Mariño et al, 2018). Here, we report Alpheus platycheirus Boone, 1927 for the first time in Venezuelan waters.…”

“…The sampling site El Supí (12°00'51.2"N 69°49'59.9"W) is located outside of protected areas and close to tourist attractions. El Supí is composed of sandy beaches with a low profile and muddy waters, with intermixed Thalassia testudinum Banks ex König 1805 and Halodule wrigthii Ascherson 1868 seagrass beds (Mariño et al, 2018). We conducted intensive nocturnal samplings using a manual push net with an opening of 1 m (width) x 0.5 m (height), and a mesh size of 1 mm (modified from Manning, 1975).…”

“…In our study, we found this species associated with Thalassia testudinum and Halodule wrightii seagrass meadows, which were established on a sandy calcareous substrate with remains of the green algae Halimeda sp. (Mariño et al, 2018).…”

Effect of Ecological Recovery on Macrophyte Dominance and Production in the Venice Lagoon

“…Moreover, the recovery of angiosperm meadows contributed to a further environmental recovery accelerating the recolonization of fish species both of commercial and conservation interest (Jackson et al, 2001;Blandon and Zu Ermgassen, 2014;Bonometto et al, 2018;Scapin et al, 2018;Scapin et al, 2019) and is changing the composition of the benthic macrofauna (Orth et al, 1984;Sfriso et al, 2001;Leopardas et al, 2014;Lin et al, 2018;Mariño et al, 2018) living in these underwater forests.…”