An approach to the floristics and faunistics of the intertidal zone in El Pulpo rocky shore, Cazones, Veracruz, Mexico.

Abstract

The rocky intertidal of Veracruz, Mexico is a coastal ecosystem with high biodiversity. However,its relevance has not been recognized compared with other marine ecosystems. The objective of this study was todevelop the first floristic and faunistic lists of the rocky intertidal of El Pulpo beach, located in the municipalityof Cazones, Veracruz. Samples were taken from 2013 to 2016 in the rocky intertidal strip in periods of low tidein order to record the marine biota and the collection of biological material for their taxonomic identification. Inaddition, a bibliographic review was performed to complement the species inventory. Fifty-one species of benthicmacroalgae, one species of phanerogam, 186 species of invertebrates, and five species of vertebrates were recorded totaling 243 intertidal marine species. The Rhodophyta are the most representative of the phycoflora with 29species, while the phylum Mollusca are the most representative of the fauna with 139 species. Most of the marinespecies were recorded in the middle and lower intertidal. Consequently, the lowest richness was recorded in theupper intertidal which consists of filamentous and foliose algae, mollusks and crustaceans with both browsing andfilter habits. This distribution coincides with those described for other rocky intertidal environments. The numberof species recorded in the rocky intertidal of El Pulpo beach demonstrates the relevance of this ecosystem. It isthus necessary to encourage actions for its protection and conservation.