Abstract
As part of a larger comparative study, marine polychaete hard-bottom assemblages were surveyed using artificial substrate units (ASUs) deployed at four sites off the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The polychaete fauna was represented by 19 families comprising 89 species. The syllid Exogone dispar was the most abundant polychaete followed closely by the serpulid Pseudovermilia occidentalis. At the family level, the polychaete fauna inhabiting the ASUs is similar to the fauna from other temperate and tropical locations. Omnivorous species were dominant (70%), followed by filter feeders (20%). This survey provides first records of the hard-bottom polychaete fauna of Trinidad and Tobago and adds new information about the geographic range of some polychaete species.
Highlights
The Caribbean is considered a unique biogeographic region with many endemic species and is among the top five world hotspots for marine and terrestrial biodiversity (RiveraMonroy et al 2004)
This paper provides the first records of freeliving polychaete fauna associated with hard substrates, for the southern Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago, and adds to the knowledge of polychaete biodiversity for the islands
All deployment and retrieval of artificial substrate units (ASUs) were done by SCUBA divers of the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) in Trinidad
Summary
The Caribbean is considered a unique biogeographic region with many endemic species and is among the top five world hotspots for marine and terrestrial biodiversity (RiveraMonroy et al 2004). In Trinidad and Tobago, polychaetes in the coastal area off the Industrial Estate at Point Lisas (on the west coast) were described by Gobin (1988) while Gobin (1990) produced a checklist of polychaetes. The latter was based on a number of soft-bottom sediment benthic surveys which had been carried out primarily. Jackson (1977) studied colonization of tiles deployed on hard-substrates in Jamaica while much later in Barbados, Diaz-Castenada & Almeda-Jauregui (1999) described the polychaetes colonising submerged coral plates
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