Abstract

HOLGUIN QUINONES, Oscar; WRIGHT LOPEZ, Humberto  and  SOLIS MARIN, Francisco. Asteroidea, Echinoidea y Holothuroidea en fondos someros de la Bahía de Loreto, Baja California Sur, México. Rev. biol. trop [online]. 2000, vol.48, n.4, pp.749-757. ISSN 0034-7744.

To evaluate echinoderm distribution, abundance and density a double 50 m transect, with a side observation range of 2.5 m was used at each of 11 stations (bimonthly samplings, Aug. 1997-Febr. 1998). In Bahía de Loreto the Phylum Echinodermata consists of 26 taxa. The greatest mean abundance by transect and mean densities in order of importance for Echinoidea were: Echinometra vanbrunti (94.1+ 52.9 ind, 0.25 ind/m²), Centrostephanus coronatus (38.15. + 9.15 ind, 0.06 ind/m²), Tripneustes depressus (28.68 + 6.86 ind, 0.039 ind/ m²), Eucidaris thouarsii (10.66 + 3.37 ind, 0.025 ind/m²) and Diadema mexicanum (11.75 + 4.92 ind, 0.023 ind/ m²); for Asteroidea were: Phataria unifascialis, Mithrodia bradleyi and Acanthaster planci. Asteroidea was the dominant class with 12 species, followed by Echinoidea with ten and Holothuroidea was represented by four species.

Keywords : Echinodermata; biodiversity; evaluation; Bahia Loreto; Mexico.