Benthic Macrofauna Associate To Oyster Banks (Crassostrea Virginica) In The Lagoons Of Pueblo Viejo, Tamiahua And Tampamachoco, Veracruz, Mexico

Oyster banks of Crassostrea virginica constitute an important habitat, providing shelter, food and breeding areas for a diversity of aquatic organisms. The objective of this work was to study composition and abundance of benthic macrofauna in capture oyster banks (C. virginica) of the lagoons of Pueblo Viejo, Tamiahua and Tampamachoco, Veracruz, Mexico. The organisms were collected monthly in three oyster banks by the fishing tackle of "gafas" (a Spanish word for clamp). By lagoon, the data obtained was used to estimate the species richness, abundance, cquitability, and true diversity every month. Furthermore, significant differences were set up through the analysis of similarity and ordering. A total of 1 606 macrobenthos samples were collected in the three lagoons. We identified 28 species, 24 families and 18 orders distributed in six zoological groups: Porifera, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda y Bryozoa. Mollusca and Annelida were the most richness and abundant groups. The oyster banks of the lagoon of Tampamachoco showed the greatest diversity of species (27 taxa) and abundant (857 individuals) in comparison with Pueblo Viejo and Tamiahua. Deposit feeders characterized the oyster banks represented by Brachidontes exustus (in Pueblo Viejo), Amphibalanus eburneus and Hydroides dianthus (both in Tampamachoco). While in Tamiahua, the most representative were carnivores: Nereis oligohalina and S'tylochus ellipticus. Similarity analysis results for richness, abundance, and equitability were homogeneous in the study months for the three lagoons. In conclusion, the oyster banks of each coastal lagoon have their own composition of macrofauna, determinated by the significant differences in the richness and abundance of the species found in each location.