Edgardo Londoño-Cruz

Checklist of barnacles (Crustacea; Cirripedia: Thoracica) from the Colombian Pacific

A checklist of thoracican barnacles from the Colombian Pacific is presented. Using published records, samples deposited in collections, and field observations, 16 barnacle taxa were identified and reported. With this information, the number of thoracican barnacles increases to 24 for the Colombian coasts (11 taxa exclusive to the Pacific coast, 8 exclusive to the Atlantic coast and 5 shared between both coasts). Among the barnacles reported in this work, four are pelagic and four are invasive; two of the latter were introduced from the Atlantic to the Pacific and two from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Checklist of benthonic marine invertebrates from Malaga Bay (Isla Palma and Los Negritos), Colombian Pacific

The composition of marine macroinvertebrates in two localities (Isla Palma and Los Negritos) of Malaga Bay was studied. This bay is located in the Pacific coast of Colombia and was recently declared National Natural Park. The rapid ecological assessment revealed a total of 128 species belonging to 64 families and 11 classes (including threatened species). The most common groups were: Gastropoda (27%), Polychaeta (26%), Malacostraca (16%) and Pelecypoda (13%). Even though the two sites are relatively near, being apart only by 6 km, the composition of the respective communities was very different. They shared only 7.8% of the species found; which might have profound and interesting effects for conservation purposes.

Coral Reef Bioerosion in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Bioerosion, the weakening and erosion of hard substrates by boring, etching, and grazing organisms, is a major structuring force on coral reefs of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Bioerosional processes are the main source of reef erosion, and facilitate recycling of reefal carbonate. In healthy reefs, a dynamic balance exists between destructive (i.e. bioerosion) and constructive (i.e. bioaccretion) processes, allowing for maintenance and growth of reef frameworks. In changing environments, however, bioerosion rates can exceed those of coral calcification, leading to reduced reef development and the destruction of reef frameworks. In the ETP, high rates of bioerosion are promoted by nutrient-rich upwelling and high primary productivity conditions, recurrent coral bleaching and mortality events, and a chemical environment characterized by high-pCO2 and low aragonite saturation state. Here we examine bioerosion in ETP coral habitats and the variable roles of reef-dwelling bioeroder taxa: microbial euendoliths (microendoliths), sponges, polychaetes, sipunculans, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoids, and reef fishes. Among these agents of bioerosion, sponges, sipunculans, bivalves, and echinoderms have been relatively well studied in this region, while information is currently lacking or limited for microendolith assemblages, polychaetes and reef fishes. The frequency of coral invasion by clionaid sponges (e.g., Cliona vermifera and Thoosa mismalolli) is variable between ETP coral habitats. Dense boring sponge assemblages can lead to high rates of carbonate losses exceeding those of bioaccretion. Boring bivalves (i.e., species of Lithophaga and Gastrochaena) are very abundant on many actively accreting reefs and are generally more prominent contributors to reef erosion in the ETP than in other regions. Sea urchins are by far the most destructive grazers of coral substrates in habitats where abundant. Following ENSO-associated coral mortality events, intense bioerosion by sea urchins has impeded coral recovery and compromised reef health at many eastern Pacific sites. This chapter reviews factors important in ETP bioerosion, and current knowledge of bioeroder populations in the region.

First record of the irregular sea urchin Lovenia cordiformis (Echinodermata: Spatangoida: Loveniidae) in Colombia

BackgroundA first record of occurrence of the irregular sea urchin Lovenia cordiformis in the Colombian Pacific is herein reported.ResultsWe collected one specimen of Lovenia cordiformis at Gorgona Island (Colombia) in a shallow sandy bottom next to a coral reef. Basic morphological data and images of the collected specimen are presented. The specimen now lies at the Echinoderm Collection of the Marine Biology Section at Universidad del Valle (Cali, Colombia; Tag Code UNIVALLE: CRBMeq-UV: 2014–001).ConclusionsThis report fills a gap in and completes the distribution of the species along the entire coast of the Panamic Province in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, updating the echinoderm richness for Colombia to 384 species.

Growth and survival of Pocillopora damicornis (Scleractinia: Pocilloporidae) coral fragments and their potential for coral reef restoration in the Tropical Eastern Pacific

ABSTRACT Transplantation of coral fragments is a common procedure for the restoration of degraded coral reefs. In the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP), the branching coral Pocillopora damicornis is the main reef-builder, and it frequently propagates through natural fragmentation; it is therefore a candidate for restoration efforts in this region. To evaluate the usefulness of P. damicornis for reef restoration in the TEP, fragments of three lengths were used: small (1–2 cm), medium (4 cm) and large (7 cm). Fragments of these three sizes were attached on the back-reef, reef flat and reef crest of La Azufrada reef (Gorgona Island, Colombian Pacific). Coral length, width, weight, and survival were followed during 119 days. Furthermore, skeletal density, linear extension and calcification rates of each coral fragment were obtained to evaluate the growth rates as a function of initial size and position on the reef. The overall fragment survival rate was 83.5%, but small fragments survived less, particularly on the back reef, than medium or large fragments. Fragment growth was greatest on the reef flat, whereas medium and large fragments grew faster than small ones. The overall mean of skeletal density, linear extension and calcification rates were 1.70 gCaCO3 cm−3, 1.89 cm yr−1 and 3.16 gCaCO3 cm−2 yr−1, respectively. These growth rates were comparable to those of other reef-building coral species in the world. Growth and survival rates of P. damicornis coral fragments found in this study, suggest that successful and low-cost restoration of TEP coral reefs is feasible using this species.

First record of Echinothrix calamaris (Echinoidea: Diadematidae) in the Colombian Pacific

BackgroundThe occurrence of Echinothrix calamaris Pallas, 1774 is reported for the first time in Colombia.ResultsThree specimens of Echinothrix calamaris were collected in two fringing reefs (La Azufrada and Playa Blanca) at Gorgona Island. The specimens now lie in the Echinoderm Collection of the Marine Biology Section at Universidad del Valle (Cali, Colombia).ConclusionsThis finding constitutes a range extension towards the Tropical Eastern Pacific, with only one previous record from Cocos Island. The list of Echinoids from the Pacific coast of Colombia now comprises 30 species.