New records of bivalves in the Mexican Pacific Transitional Zone

Abstract

ABSTRACT The marine ecoregion known as the Mexican Pacific Transitional Zone (MPT) is a rich environment consisting of diverse coastal ecosystems with a great diversity of species, including bivalves, which have high ecological importance and perform a wide variety of environmental functions. Our objective was to document new records of bivalve species in the MPT and their geographic distribution. The study was conducted at 26 sites with rocky intertidal areas located in the Mexican states of Michoacan, Guerrero and Oaxaca. Semele (S.) californica, Petricola (P.) botula and Parapholas acuminata are new records for the MPT; Crassostrea columbiensis is a new record for the coasts of Michoacan and Oaxaca. Plicatula spondylopsis, Chama corrugata, Diplodonta orbella, Sphenia fragilis, Juliacorbula bicarinata, Paraphola calva, Gastrochaena ovata and Lamychaena truncata are new records for the state of Guerrero. These new records demonstrate the need for more concentrated research efforts in the study of marine diversity, in particular to examine specific clades in this important biodiverse zone. Key policy insights Obtained results highlight the great variety of mollusc species that inhabit the Mexican Pacific Transitional Zone (MPT); however, they need further research. Knowledge of the diversity of mollusc in (MPT) allows us to enrich and update the taxonomic database for the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The taxonomic knowledge of bivalves will serve as the basis for the conservation and management of fishery resources occurring in the MPT.