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Polychaetous Annelids from the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica
Author(s) -
Maurer Don,
Vargas Jose,
Dean Harlan
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
internationale revue der gesamten hydrobiologie und hydrographie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 0020-9309
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.19880730105
Subject(s) - polychaete , biology , ecology , temperate climate , seasonality , wet season , zoology
Polychaetous annelids from a soft bottom community (1–46 m) were sampled from the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. A total of 125 species was identified, 120 from a faunistic study throughout the gulf and 78 species from a time study at four stations. The number of species from the Gulf was not as high as in some temperate areas. Temporal differences were slight compared to station differences. Twenty dominant species indicated three descriptive patterns: 1) Species with a marked seasonal peak and stable densities thereafter; 2) Species with a moderate seasonal peak and stable densities thereafter; and 3) Species with no discernible seasonal peak. Although 10 polychaete feeding guilds were identified, species from six feeding guilds were the dominant groups. The effect of the rainy season on polychaete opportunism and feeding guilds was discussed.