Medusas y sifonóforos del estuario del río Mataje-Bahía Ancón de Sardinas

Abstract

Zooplankton is vitally important as a link between primary producers and higher consumers, the study of these organisms can be used in assessments for sustainable and sustainable use of ecosystems and biological resources in the aquatic environment. In this research paper were identified a total 10 species of cnidarians, represented by Amphynema dinema, Obelia sp., Clytiahemisphaerica, Mitrocomella grandis, Rhopalonema velatum, Bougainvilla muscus, Ectopleura dumortieri, Eucheilota nemoni and Eutonina scintillans, ranked in 4 orders of the class hydrozoa with 10 families and a class; the Scyphozoa class, present with the Rhizostomeae order and Stomolophidae family and species Stomolophus meleagris while siphonophores wererepresented by the suborder Calycophorae and Diphyidae family, a subfamily (Diphyinae) and 4 species, represented by Chelophyes contorta, Muggiaea atlantica, Lensia conoidea and Lensia multicristata. During the development of the research field trip were taken 15 zooplankton samples on the field of Estuary-Bay Mataje Ancon de Sardinas, during October 2012.And a total of 13 zooplankton taxa were identified, distributed throughout the study area and its highest population density was located in front of Pampanal and El Viento communities. Its composition was mainly of copepods, barnacle nauplii and larvae of Decapoda in E-2, while zoea larvae of Decapoda braquiura belonged to E1. The stages of fish eggs wereabundant in E-5A against the commune of Palma Real and the outside of the Bay of Ancón de Sardinas (E9), while the highest density of fish larvae was evident in front of El Viento community (E-2)Pampanal (E-1) outside of the Bay of Ancón de Sardinas (E-9). These places could be considered as ecological niches of high biological productivity. However, lower biomasssites were recorded in stations 4 at the boundary between Ecuador and Colombia, (E-5) diagonal to the Palma Real commune, (E-9) located in the river mouth of the Bay of Ancon de Sardinas