The holoplanktonic mollusks (Pteropoda and Pterotrachoidea) in surface waters of the Campeche Canyon (southern Gulf of Mexico) during a winter storm (“Nortes”) season

Abstract

The holoplanktonic mollusks (Mollusca, Pteropoda and Pterotrachoidea) are independent and key groups of organisms in any marine ecosystem due to the role they play in the carbon and energy transfer along the marine trophic webs. We document the species of holoplanktonic mollusks collected in the surface waters (10 m depth) during an oceanographic expedition in the Campeche Canyon, southern Gulf of Mexico, during the February 2011 winter storm (“Nortes”) season. Organisms were collected using a close/open/close net system. Eighteen species belonging to 12 genera and nine families of pteropods were identified. Three species of Pterotrachoidea were identified. Limacina trochiformis (d’Orbigny, 1835), Heliconoides inflatus (d’Orbigny, 1835), and Creseis conica (Eschscholtz, 1829) were the species with highest density values (600.3, 678.5, and 746.8 ind · 100 m−3, respectively). The results presented here contribute to the knowledge of this group of organisms in oceanic waters of the southern Gulf of Mexico, especially during a time of year where observations are scarce.

Keywords

• Gulf of Mexico
• Nortes season
• marine zooplankton