Abstract
The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is located off the Caribbean coast of Panama. Until now, only 19 species of heterobranch sea slugs have been formally reported from this area; this number constitutes a fraction of total diversity in the Caribbean region. Based on newly conducted fieldwork, we increase the number of recorded heterobranch sea slug species in Bocas del Toro to 82. Descriptive information for each species is provided, including taxonomic and/or ecological notes for most taxa. The collecting effort is also described and compared with that of other field expeditions in the Caribbean and the tropical Eastern Pacific. This increase in known diversity strongly suggests that the distribution of species within the Caribbean is still poorly known and species ranges may need to be modified as more surveys are conducted.
Highlights
The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is located on the Caribbean coast of Panama, near the Costa Rican border
In this paper we present an updated record of the diversity of heterobranch sea slugs in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, resulting from several research trips to the area and a field course organized by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in July and August of 2015
After approximately 307.5 person-hours of field searching, a total of 82 species belonging to five clades of heterobranch sea slugs were found, some of which have not yet been described (Table 1)
Summary
The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is located on the Caribbean coast of Panama, near the Costa Rican border. The Bocas del Toro Research Station, a well-known marine station of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), is located on Isla Colón. Numerous researchers at this station, both past and present, have utilized the waters surrounding the archipelago for various. Only 19 species of heterobranch sea slugs have been formally reported from this area; this number constitutes a fraction of total diversity in the Caribbean region. Results: Based on newly conducted fieldwork, we increase the number of recorded heterobranch sea slug species in Bocas del Toro to 82. Conclusions: This increase in known diversity strongly suggests that the distribution of species within the Caribbean is still poorly known and species ranges may need to be modified as more surveys are conducted
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