FORAMINÍFEROS PLANCTÓNICOS VIVOS EN EL MAR ECUATORIANO: TAXONOMÍA Y DISTRIBUCIÓN*

Abstract

The sensitivity to changes of the environment marine of planktonic species, such as planktonic foraminifera, makes them in detection tools of marine ecosystem changes, at any given time. The principal purpose of this paper is about of taxonomy and distribution of planktonic foraminifera species found in the Ecuadorian sea, since 1973 until 1998. Zooplankton samples were collected aboard oceanographic cruises realized between the mainland coast until 92 °W, to west of Galapagos Islands,and in the fxed station “La Libertad” (Santa Elena Peninsula). The total population of planktonic foraminifera comprised 25 species distributed in three families and seven genera: Globigerina,Globigerinoides, Globoquadrina, Globorotalia, Orbulina, Hastigerina and Globigerinita. Of these, Globigerinoides sacculifer and G. ruber predominated in waters with major in?uence of warm waters of the Panama Bay and, Globigerina bulloides in cold waters of the Humboldt Current. G. sacculiferand G. ruber predominated during the event “El Niño” 97-98 all along the Ecuadorian coast