Macrocrustacea (Peracarida, Decapoda) from carbonated habitats in the western sector of the Campeche Bank in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

This study contributes with information on the number of families, abundance, biodiversity and geographical distribution of the crustacean assemblage associated to carbonated habitats in the western sector of the Campeche Bank. The samples studied were collected onboard the R/V Pelican of the University of Louisiana from dredge materials obtained at a range of 20 to 182 m depth. The specimens were grouped into 64 families. The number of families, the abundance and diversity values decreased with increasing depth. The distance to the banks and reef islands determined the variability recorded in the richness of families and the distribution patterns of the macrocrustacean assemblage. The Campeche Bank is suggested to be a “hotspot” of biological diversity for the macrocrustaceans associated to the carbonated bottoms.