Galindo Estronza, Alexandra M.

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    A morphological and molecular contribution on bethic ostracods, with emphasis on the populations of caribbean meshophotic reefs
    (2015) Galindo Estronza, Alexandra M.; Alfaro, Mónica; College of Arts and Sciencies - Sciences; V. Schizas, Nikolaos; Santos, Carlos; Department of Biology; Ojeda Serrano, Edgardo
    Ostracods are tiny crustaceans enclosed in a bivalve shell that are found worldwide inhabiting many aquatic environments. The taxonomy, distribution and ecology of marine ostracods remain incomplete in the Caribbean, even though they are among the most successful microcrustaceans of marine ecosystems. In an effort to increase our knowledge of the biodiversity, abundance and distribution of benthic ostracods, several sediment samples from mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) of Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands were collected at different depths (30-102 m) using technical diving. Ostracods were either hand sorted directly from the sediment samples or after a Ludox AM-30 colloidal silica resuspension and centrifugation step, used for mass-extraction of meiofauna and macrofauna. The highest densities of ostracods with the most abundant and diverse assemblages were found in the deepest samples (≥ 61 m). All ostracods collected belong to the subclasses Myodocopa and Podocopa. The Myodocopa was represented by the families Cylindroleberididae, Sarsiellidae, Cypridinidae, Rutidermatidae and Philomedidae; on the other hand, the families or superfamilies that represented the Podocopa were Bairdiidae, Xestoleberididae, Macrocyprididae, Pontocyprididae, Cytherellidae, Cytheroidea, Loxoconchidae, Cytheromatidae, Bythocytheridae, and Candonidae. The subclass Podocopa showed the highest number of individuals and species. Using a morphological (shell shape, shell patterns and ornamentation) and molecular barcoding approach (28S rDNA), we provide the first report of the biodiversity of ostracods in the MCEs of NE Caribbean.