Cubomedusas (cnidaria: cubozoa) del mar caribe colombiano

Las especies de cubomedusas del Caribe colombiano son aún muy poco conocidas, es por esta razón que se realizaron muestreos exploratorios en la región de Santa Marta, Colombia, durante el periodo comprendido entre febrero y octubre de 2009, para determinar que especies se encuentran en la región. Se colectaron e identificaron un total de cinco ejemplares de cubomedusas pertenecientes a la clase Cubozoa, tres del género Chiropsalmus (familia Chirodropida) y dos del género Alatina (familia Alatinidae), ambos especímenes constituyen el primer registro de cubomedusas para el Caribe colombiano

First visual occurrence data for deep-sea cnidarians in the South-western Colombian Caribbean

Attention to the deep-sea environment has increased dramatically in the last decade due to the rising interest in natural resource exploitation. Although Colombia holds a large submerged territory, knowledge of the seabed and its biodiversity beyond 1,000 m depth is very limited. During 2015–2017, Anadarko Colombia Company (ACC) carried out hydrocarbon exploratory activities in the South-western Colombian Caribbean, at depths between 375 m and 2,565 m. Capitalising on available data resources from these activities, several cnidarian species were observed in ROV and towed camera surveys. We analysed over nine hours of video and 5,066 still images from these surveys, identifying organisms to the lowest possible taxonomic level. The images and associated data presented here correspond to 108 observations of deep-sea cnidarians, including seven new records for the Colombian Caribbean. Given the paucity of research and funding to explore the deep-sea in Colombia, the present dataset comprises the largest deep-sea Cnidaria imagery inventory to date for the Colombian Caribbean

New records of mesopelagic siphonophores (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from the Colombian Caribbean collected during offshore exploration cruises

Five species of siphonophores are newly recorded in the Colombian Caribbean Sea: the physonects Athorybia rosacea (Forsskål, 1775), Nanomia bijuga (Delle Chiaje, 1844), and Agalma okenii Eschscholtz, 1825 and the calycophores Amphicaryon ernesti Totton, 1954 and Hippopodius hippopus (Forsskål, 1776), from samples collected with deep-water trawls in six hydrocarbon exploration areas (GUA OFF 3, COL 1, COL 2, COL 3, COL 4; COL 10) where research projects were undertaken in 2013 and 2018 by the Marine and Coastal Research Institute “Jose Benito Vives de Andreis” in agreement with the National Hydrocarbon Agency

CUBOMEDUSAS (CNIDARIA: CUBOZOA) DEL MAR CARIBE COLOMBIANO

  Las especies de cubomedusas del Caribe colombiano son aún muy poco conocidas, es por esta razón que se realizaron muestreos exploratorios en la región de Santa Marta, Colombia, durante el periodo comprendido entre febrero y octubre de 2009, para determinar que especies se encuentran en la región. Se colectaron e identificaron un total de cinco ejemplares de cubomedusas pertenecientes a la clase Cubozoa, tres del género Chiropsalmus (familia Chirodropida) y dos del género Alatina (familia Alatinidae), ambos especímenes constituyen el primer registro de cubomedusas para el Caribe colombiano.

Deep-sea Coral Taxonomy Workshop, Colombia 2019

Corals are some of the conspicuous taxa in deep-sea ecosystems. Yet, characterizing coral diversity is difficult and requires a combination of both morphological and genetic data. Many leading coral taxonomy experts are close-to retirement or have already retired. It is now imperative that the hands-on expertise that these taxonomists have – much of which is not captured in manuscripts or books – is transferred to the next generation. The Deep-Sea Coral Taxonomy Workshop, funded by a Lounsbery award from the Deep-Sea Biology Society, aimed to provide a training opportunities and build taxonomic capacity in Colombia and Latin America. Workshop participants examined the deep-sea coral diversity of the southern western Caribbean, a poorly explored region. The three-day workshop was based mainly on hands-on activities focused on octocorals and black corals, and included introductory talks to the taxonomy of these groups and identification activities using specimens. Thanks to the workshop, it was possible to review and update the classification database of the Makuriwa Marine Natural History Museum collection. Additionally, four new species from the families Clavulariidae, Plexauridae and Gorgoniidae were identified and will be described in the near future

Primer registro de medusas Stomolophus meleagris (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) en la bahía de Cispatá, Córdoba, Colombia

This paper reports for the first time the presence of the jellyfish Stomolophus meleagris, based on twenty one individuals collected off Cispatá Bay, Córdoba, Colombia. This jellyfish is one of the most common inhabitants in coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, and it has also been registered in southeastern Brazil to northern Argentina. This finding increases the spatial distribution of this species to the Caribbean coast of Colombia

Mapping Ecological Units in Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems of San Andrés Island (Southwestern Caribbean)

To map ecological units in mesophotic coral ecosystems on the western side of San Andrés Island (Colombia) considering biotic components and geomorphic zonation among 30–140 m deep, 27 video transects were done using an ROV. In total, 14 h of video were recorded and 5742 still images were extracted from them, from which 753 met quality criteria for bottom coverage and organisms’ abundance estimations. These estimates were calculated from images through the Planar-Point Intercept method (PPI) using a 1 m × 0.5 m quadrant gridded 0.1 m × 0.1 m. CLUSTER, SIMPROF, and SIMPER analysis of benthic composition considering depth ranges in the group’s formation were done. The clusters formed were simplified and generalized using a color matrix to support the mapping process. Two geomorphological units were found, the deep reef terrace (30–60 m) and the reef slope (60–357 m), overlapping with five ecological units spanning 268 ha. The units Bioturbed sediments–Calcareous algae, Octocorals–Mixed corals, and Octocorals–Sponges sited on the deep reef terrace have been previously described in the shallow waters of the island, and the units Octocorals–Sponges–Antipatharians and Encrusting Sponges sited on the reef slope are described as new here. These findings contribute to the knowledge of Caribbean mesophotic coral ecosystems and are useful to update the Colombian coral reef atlas

La medusa bala de cañón (Stomolophus meleagris) en Colombia, revisión de su distribución y primer reporte en el océano Pacífico

Esta contribución da a conocer la distribución actual de la medusa bala de cañón (Stomolophus meleagris) en Colombia; se evidencia la escases de estudios realizados en el Caribe colombiano y ninguno realizado en el Pacífico colombiano. Se registra por primera vez para el Pacífico colombiano la presencia de S. meleagris en la zona de Bahía Málaga, donde se recolectaron tres medusas juveniles; se describe de manera breve los especímenes encontrados, los cuales fueron medidos y fotografiados. Actualmente, las medusas se encuentran depositadas en el Museo de Historia Natural Marina de Colombia, en la ciudad de Santa Marta