Echinoderms in San Matías Gulf, Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

ARRIBAS, LORENA P.; MARTINEZ, MARIANO I.; BROGGER, MARTÍN IGNACIO

THALASSAS (SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA)

UNIV VIGO

Lugar: Vigo; Año: 2016 vol. 32 p. 11 - 18

0212-5919

Echinoderms are often of ecological importance in intertidal and subtidal waters, especially as predators and herbivores. Several groups of echinoderms respond in a different way to environmental variables, contributing to some of the biodiversity patterns found along latitudinal gradient. This work listed the echinoderms species of San Matías Gulf surrounding the coast of Río Negro Province, and analyzed the current state of knowledge of this group by previous works, collection items of Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ?Bernardino Rivadavia? and samples taken since 2009. A total of 35 species of echinoderms corresponding to four classes were recorded. The 36% corresponds to Ophiuroidea, 33% to Asteroidea, 21% to Echinoidea and 9% to Holothuroidea. Crinoidea has not been reported for San Matías Gulf. The Ophiuroidea and Asteroidea were the most representative groups follow by Echinoidea and Holothuroidea, with only five species in the last class. About 30 % of country?s species is present in Río Negro Province. This high number of species may be due to the heterogeneity of environments that are possible to find in San Matías Gulf and a transition zones between the Magellanic and Argentine biogeographic provinces that can provide particular physical and climatic characteristics explaining as consequence, the faunal composition.