I am a broadly trained marine biologist and ecologist with a particular interest in marine invertebrate species diversity and distribution, as well as the Marine Aquarium trade and sustainable aquaculture of marine ornamental species. I currently work in the Coral Reefs and coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean, as well as with the fauna and management of fresh water sink holes (cenotes) of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. Address: Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico
Bartholomea annulata is a facultative host of the A. armatus species complex. In the Mexican Cari... more Bartholomea annulata is a facultative host of the A. armatus species complex. In the Mexican Caribbean it is commonly found in cracks and crevices located where the vertical walls meet the sandy bottom or on large coral patches away from the sand. To protect themselves from predators, anemones often contract their hydraulic body into a cavernous den and extend the stinging tentacles toward the entrance. The high sediment dynamics of the region, however, result in a permanent risk of animal shelters to be obstructed by sand. By both analysing field data and conducting laboratory experiments with artificial shelters, the present study explored the den cleaning behaviour widely extended amongst alpheid shrimp, and its role in the alpheid-anemone symbiotic interaction. Videorecordings showed that den cleaning was composed of three main behaviours: digging, tossing and tamping. It commenced as soon as 7.2 ± 10.5 min after anemones were recognised by alpheids, and behaviours were displaye...
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Cryptic species in coral reefs, such as sea slugs, represent an important portion of their biodiv... more Cryptic species in coral reefs, such as sea slugs, represent an important portion of their biodiversity, which is usually underestimated. Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) have been implemented to estimate cryptic diversity in coral reefs. Therefore, this research aimed to contribute to the southern Gulf of Mexico (GM) and the Caribbean Sea (CAR) coral reefs’ sea slugs’ diversity and distribution using ARMS as a collection method. Fifty-eight ARMS were placed at three coral reefs in the GM and CAR, recovered after 1–2 years and then, disassembled at the laboratory. Plates were individually placed in trays with seawater, where we searched for sea slugs. A total of 242 organisms were found belonging to 31 species; 20 of them were identified to the species level, while 11 were determined up to genus or family. More than half of the species (19) were found in Bajo de 10 (GM), while 15 species were found in the CAR localities. Unlike previous studies, we assessed sea slugs’ di...
The biodiversity and biogeographic affinity of benthic amphipods from the Yucatan continental she... more The biodiversity and biogeographic affinity of benthic amphipods from the Yucatan continental shelf with the warm Northwest Atlantic ecoregions were analysed using species occurrence data from bent...
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Molluscs are a diverse phylum in coastal lagoons because the numerous taxa collectively display b... more Molluscs are a diverse phylum in coastal lagoons because the numerous taxa collectively display broad ranges of optima and tolerance with respect to ambient conditions. We report on the taxonomic composition, habitat preferences and feeding guilds of molluscs from Río Lagartos coastal lagoon, Mexico. Molluscs were collected in the rainy season (September/October 2017), during the winter (Nortes) season (February 2018) and at the end of the warm, dry season (May 2018). Samples were taken using a Ponar dredge, a cylindrical PVC core barrel, or a beach seine. We studied the abiotic characteristics (sediment grain-size distributions, submersed aquatic vegetation abundance and salinity) to explore assemblage differences across the broad salinity gradient that characterizes the system (~30–78 PSU). Molluscs were represented by 39 species, 34 genera, 23 families and two classes. Stenohaline species were more numerous overall than euryhaline species, but their occurrence in samples was low ...
Compound styelid ascidians are distributed in all marine environments and usually exhibit high mo... more Compound styelid ascidians are distributed in all marine environments and usually exhibit high morphological plasticity and complexity. In particular, Botrylloides, Botryllus, and Symplegma species show high morphological variations leading to confusion in traditional taxonomy assignments and to ambiguity in species delineation. Fewer than 20 species in these genera are registered in the Atlantic region. Here we surveyed the coral reefs of the southern Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean Sea, barcoded a total of 110 samples collected in seven reefs in 24 sites using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (or 1), as well as performed a detailed morphological study. Species delimitation analyses of barcoding sequencing revealed twelve botryllid species and three Symplegma species. Two of the botryllid species were identified as Botrylloides niger and Botryllus humilis; the latter is the first record for the Gulf of México. The remaining 10 botryllid species and the two Symplegm...
Depth-generalist coral holobionts inhabit shallow (0–30 m) and mesophotic (30–150 m) reef zones b... more Depth-generalist coral holobionts inhabit shallow (0–30 m) and mesophotic (30–150 m) reef zones but may exhibit genetic specialization as a result of adaptations to environmental shifts and/or due to a lack of dispersal across depth. The level of depth-dependent genetic structuring varies across reef locations which may impact the roles mesophotic populations play in the persistence and recovery of metapopulations. A depth-generalist coral species, Montastraea cavernosa, was sampled across a shallow to mesophotic gradient at 10, 15, 25, and 35 m at Alacranes and Bajos del Norte reefs on Campeche Bank, Mexico. Both 2bRAD and ITS2 sequencing were used to quantify genetic differentiation of the coral hosts and community structure of their algal endosymbionts (Family Symbiodiniaceae) across depth zones and between these reefs. Significant levels of M. cavernosa genetic differentiation were identified across depth at both reefs, especially between the shallow (10, 15, and 25 m) and mesop...
Finding new alternatives to traditional live preys such as Artemia and rotifers, which do not alw... more Finding new alternatives to traditional live preys such as Artemia and rotifers, which do not always promote optimal fish growth and survival, is required for the successful aquaculture of highly specialized predatory species, including seahorses. The present study assessed the nutritional value of an interesting marine amphipod (Parhyale hawaiensis), and evaluates through a feeding trial its potential use as a natural prey for 10-months lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus. P. hawaiensis showed high levels of valuable lipids (20.4–26.7% on dry matter basis) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ( 26.4–41% of total FAs), including the long-chain PUFAs (LC-PUFAs) arachidonic acid (ARA) (2.9–7.7%), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (4.3–6.5%) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (2.1–6.2%). A comparison between wild-captured and cultured amphipods revealed a significant improvement of the amphipod FA profile in terms of DHA%, total omega-3 (n3) FAs and n3/n6 ratio when employing both a conventio...
This database consists of an aggregation matrix of species from Ocean Biodiversity Information Sy... more This database consists of an aggregation matrix of species from Ocean Biodiversity Information Systems using as geographic filters the Caribbean Sea region (ID 34287) and the Gulf of Mexico region (ID 34287) nomenclature and hierarchical classification of each Phyla from World Register of Marine Species used for the calculation of average taxonomic distinction of species belonging to the Phyla Annelida (Polychaeta), Mollusca, Arthropoda (Decapoda, Stomatopoda, Amphipoda, and Chelicerata), and Echinodermata associated to Autonomous Reefs Monitoring Structures from the research "Evaluation of the use of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) to estimate cryptic diversity in two coral reefs of the Yucatan Península, México" <strong>*Corresponding autor: </strong>edlinguerra@gmail.com BIS Ocean Biodiversity Information System. Available online: www.iobis.org. Horton, T.; Gofas, S.; Kroh, A.; Poore, G.C.B.; Read, G.; Rosenberg, G.; Stöhr, S.; Bailly, N.; Boury...
This book is a product of BDMY (www.bdmy.org.mx) project, that<br> was produced with funds ... more This book is a product of BDMY (www.bdmy.org.mx) project, that<br> was produced with funds of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of<br> Mexico Studies, and CONABIO (Mexico).<br> The information in the book was reviewed and validated by a<br> group of specialists in the taxon.
<strong>*Corresponding autor: </strong>edlinguerra@gmail.com This checklist contains ... more <strong>*Corresponding autor: </strong>edlinguerra@gmail.com This checklist contains systematic information of specimens of the cryptobiont assemblages identified by experts of each Phyla and is a complementary material of the research "The use of ARMS to evaluate taxonomic diversity and spatial distribution cryptobiont assemblages of coral reefs in two subregions of the great Caribbean Sea". The checklist contains 367 morphotypes, 246 species, 86 genera, two subfamily, 26 family, seven class and nine Phyla. For the present research, animals of the appropriate species and quality were selected and the minimum number required to obtain scientifically valid results, as well as anesthetized and deposited in National Collections: Colección Regional de Crustáceos de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: YUC-CC-255-11), Colección Regional de Moluscos de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: YUC. -INV-240-01-11), Colección Regional de Equinodermos de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: DGVS-CC-307-18), Colección Regional de Ascidias de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: DGVS-CC-306-18), Colección Regional de Briozoos de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: DGVS-CC-308-18), Colección Regional de Cnidarios de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARMAT number: YUC-CC-254-11), Colección Regional de Policládidos de la Península de Yucatán (105 Collection CONABIO) and Colección Nacional del Phyla Porifera "Gerardo Green" of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Sisal, Mexico (UMDI-Sisal) and within accordance with scientific collection permits: PPF/DGOPA: 295/17, 300/17, 294/17, 293/17, PPF/DGOPA-076/19 issued by Mexico's State Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación (SAGARPA). <strong>CC-BY-NC-N</strong>
Occurrence of the Indo-Pacific damselfish Neopomacentrus cyanomos under an oil-loading platform i... more Occurrence of the Indo-Pacific damselfish Neopomacentrus cyanomos under an oil-loading platform in the southwest Gulf of Mexico indicates that the large numbers of such platforms could facilitate the expansion of the geographic range of this species across the western and northern fringes of the Gulf. This study aimed to determine effects of reduced temperatures on the physiology of this tropical Indo-Pacific species, to better predict the possibility of its survival in the Northern Gulf during winter, when sea surface temperatures fall to as low as 18°C. Metabolic distress of animals collected twice under the oil-loading platform 1.5 km from the Cayo Arcas reef (20.21°N, -91.98°W) at 26°C that had been acutely exposed to cold temperature (-4°C h-1 every 24 h) or acclimated (45 days) occurred from 18°C and 20°C, respectively; respiration rates were significantly altered; energy reserves mobilized or drained and oxidative stress was observed. Temperature coefficient (Q10) among lower...
This book is a product of BDMY ((https://www.bdmy.org.mx) project, that was produced with funds o... more This book is a product of BDMY ((https://www.bdmy.org.mx) project, that was produced with funds of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, and CONABIO (Mexico).<br> The information in the book was reviewed and validated by a group of specialists in the taxon. <strong>CC-BY-NC-ND</strong>
Fil: Gonzalez Munoz, Ricardo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas.... more Fil: Gonzalez Munoz, Ricardo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina
Autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) have been proposed as a standardized, passive, nonde... more Autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) have been proposed as a standardized, passive, nondestructive sampling tool. This study assessed the ability of ARMS to capture the cryptic species diversity of two coral reefs by recording species richness and taxonomic representativeness using conventional taxonomy. The capacity of ARMS, as artificial substrates, to favor the establishment of nonindigenous species over native species was also evaluated. The use of ARMS allowed the detection of 370 species morphotypes from nine phyla, yielding 13 new records of geographic distribution expansion, one exotic species for the Gulf of México and the Caribbean Sea, and six newly described species. It was also possible to make spatial comparisons of species richness between both reefs. ARMS captured cryptic diversity exceptionally well, with the exception of echinoderms. Furthermore, these artificial structures did not hinder the colonization ability of native species; in fact, the colonization...
Bartholomea annulata is a facultative host of the A. armatus species complex. In the Mexican Cari... more Bartholomea annulata is a facultative host of the A. armatus species complex. In the Mexican Caribbean it is commonly found in cracks and crevices located where the vertical walls meet the sandy bottom or on large coral patches away from the sand. To protect themselves from predators, anemones often contract their hydraulic body into a cavernous den and extend the stinging tentacles toward the entrance. The high sediment dynamics of the region, however, result in a permanent risk of animal shelters to be obstructed by sand. By both analysing field data and conducting laboratory experiments with artificial shelters, the present study explored the den cleaning behaviour widely extended amongst alpheid shrimp, and its role in the alpheid-anemone symbiotic interaction. Videorecordings showed that den cleaning was composed of three main behaviours: digging, tossing and tamping. It commenced as soon as 7.2 ± 10.5 min after anemones were recognised by alpheids, and behaviours were displaye...
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Cryptic species in coral reefs, such as sea slugs, represent an important portion of their biodiv... more Cryptic species in coral reefs, such as sea slugs, represent an important portion of their biodiversity, which is usually underestimated. Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) have been implemented to estimate cryptic diversity in coral reefs. Therefore, this research aimed to contribute to the southern Gulf of Mexico (GM) and the Caribbean Sea (CAR) coral reefs’ sea slugs’ diversity and distribution using ARMS as a collection method. Fifty-eight ARMS were placed at three coral reefs in the GM and CAR, recovered after 1–2 years and then, disassembled at the laboratory. Plates were individually placed in trays with seawater, where we searched for sea slugs. A total of 242 organisms were found belonging to 31 species; 20 of them were identified to the species level, while 11 were determined up to genus or family. More than half of the species (19) were found in Bajo de 10 (GM), while 15 species were found in the CAR localities. Unlike previous studies, we assessed sea slugs’ di...
The biodiversity and biogeographic affinity of benthic amphipods from the Yucatan continental she... more The biodiversity and biogeographic affinity of benthic amphipods from the Yucatan continental shelf with the warm Northwest Atlantic ecoregions were analysed using species occurrence data from bent...
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Molluscs are a diverse phylum in coastal lagoons because the numerous taxa collectively display b... more Molluscs are a diverse phylum in coastal lagoons because the numerous taxa collectively display broad ranges of optima and tolerance with respect to ambient conditions. We report on the taxonomic composition, habitat preferences and feeding guilds of molluscs from Río Lagartos coastal lagoon, Mexico. Molluscs were collected in the rainy season (September/October 2017), during the winter (Nortes) season (February 2018) and at the end of the warm, dry season (May 2018). Samples were taken using a Ponar dredge, a cylindrical PVC core barrel, or a beach seine. We studied the abiotic characteristics (sediment grain-size distributions, submersed aquatic vegetation abundance and salinity) to explore assemblage differences across the broad salinity gradient that characterizes the system (~30–78 PSU). Molluscs were represented by 39 species, 34 genera, 23 families and two classes. Stenohaline species were more numerous overall than euryhaline species, but their occurrence in samples was low ...
Compound styelid ascidians are distributed in all marine environments and usually exhibit high mo... more Compound styelid ascidians are distributed in all marine environments and usually exhibit high morphological plasticity and complexity. In particular, Botrylloides, Botryllus, and Symplegma species show high morphological variations leading to confusion in traditional taxonomy assignments and to ambiguity in species delineation. Fewer than 20 species in these genera are registered in the Atlantic region. Here we surveyed the coral reefs of the southern Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean Sea, barcoded a total of 110 samples collected in seven reefs in 24 sites using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (or 1), as well as performed a detailed morphological study. Species delimitation analyses of barcoding sequencing revealed twelve botryllid species and three Symplegma species. Two of the botryllid species were identified as Botrylloides niger and Botryllus humilis; the latter is the first record for the Gulf of México. The remaining 10 botryllid species and the two Symplegm...
Depth-generalist coral holobionts inhabit shallow (0–30 m) and mesophotic (30–150 m) reef zones b... more Depth-generalist coral holobionts inhabit shallow (0–30 m) and mesophotic (30–150 m) reef zones but may exhibit genetic specialization as a result of adaptations to environmental shifts and/or due to a lack of dispersal across depth. The level of depth-dependent genetic structuring varies across reef locations which may impact the roles mesophotic populations play in the persistence and recovery of metapopulations. A depth-generalist coral species, Montastraea cavernosa, was sampled across a shallow to mesophotic gradient at 10, 15, 25, and 35 m at Alacranes and Bajos del Norte reefs on Campeche Bank, Mexico. Both 2bRAD and ITS2 sequencing were used to quantify genetic differentiation of the coral hosts and community structure of their algal endosymbionts (Family Symbiodiniaceae) across depth zones and between these reefs. Significant levels of M. cavernosa genetic differentiation were identified across depth at both reefs, especially between the shallow (10, 15, and 25 m) and mesop...
Finding new alternatives to traditional live preys such as Artemia and rotifers, which do not alw... more Finding new alternatives to traditional live preys such as Artemia and rotifers, which do not always promote optimal fish growth and survival, is required for the successful aquaculture of highly specialized predatory species, including seahorses. The present study assessed the nutritional value of an interesting marine amphipod (Parhyale hawaiensis), and evaluates through a feeding trial its potential use as a natural prey for 10-months lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus. P. hawaiensis showed high levels of valuable lipids (20.4–26.7% on dry matter basis) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ( 26.4–41% of total FAs), including the long-chain PUFAs (LC-PUFAs) arachidonic acid (ARA) (2.9–7.7%), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (4.3–6.5%) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (2.1–6.2%). A comparison between wild-captured and cultured amphipods revealed a significant improvement of the amphipod FA profile in terms of DHA%, total omega-3 (n3) FAs and n3/n6 ratio when employing both a conventio...
This database consists of an aggregation matrix of species from Ocean Biodiversity Information Sy... more This database consists of an aggregation matrix of species from Ocean Biodiversity Information Systems using as geographic filters the Caribbean Sea region (ID 34287) and the Gulf of Mexico region (ID 34287) nomenclature and hierarchical classification of each Phyla from World Register of Marine Species used for the calculation of average taxonomic distinction of species belonging to the Phyla Annelida (Polychaeta), Mollusca, Arthropoda (Decapoda, Stomatopoda, Amphipoda, and Chelicerata), and Echinodermata associated to Autonomous Reefs Monitoring Structures from the research "Evaluation of the use of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) to estimate cryptic diversity in two coral reefs of the Yucatan Península, México" <strong>*Corresponding autor: </strong>edlinguerra@gmail.com BIS Ocean Biodiversity Information System. Available online: www.iobis.org. Horton, T.; Gofas, S.; Kroh, A.; Poore, G.C.B.; Read, G.; Rosenberg, G.; Stöhr, S.; Bailly, N.; Boury...
This book is a product of BDMY (www.bdmy.org.mx) project, that<br> was produced with funds ... more This book is a product of BDMY (www.bdmy.org.mx) project, that<br> was produced with funds of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of<br> Mexico Studies, and CONABIO (Mexico).<br> The information in the book was reviewed and validated by a<br> group of specialists in the taxon.
<strong>*Corresponding autor: </strong>edlinguerra@gmail.com This checklist contains ... more <strong>*Corresponding autor: </strong>edlinguerra@gmail.com This checklist contains systematic information of specimens of the cryptobiont assemblages identified by experts of each Phyla and is a complementary material of the research "The use of ARMS to evaluate taxonomic diversity and spatial distribution cryptobiont assemblages of coral reefs in two subregions of the great Caribbean Sea". The checklist contains 367 morphotypes, 246 species, 86 genera, two subfamily, 26 family, seven class and nine Phyla. For the present research, animals of the appropriate species and quality were selected and the minimum number required to obtain scientifically valid results, as well as anesthetized and deposited in National Collections: Colección Regional de Crustáceos de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: YUC-CC-255-11), Colección Regional de Moluscos de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: YUC. -INV-240-01-11), Colección Regional de Equinodermos de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: DGVS-CC-307-18), Colección Regional de Ascidias de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: DGVS-CC-306-18), Colección Regional de Briozoos de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARNAT number: DGVS-CC-308-18), Colección Regional de Cnidarios de la Península de Yucatán (SEMARMAT number: YUC-CC-254-11), Colección Regional de Policládidos de la Península de Yucatán (105 Collection CONABIO) and Colección Nacional del Phyla Porifera "Gerardo Green" of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Sisal, Mexico (UMDI-Sisal) and within accordance with scientific collection permits: PPF/DGOPA: 295/17, 300/17, 294/17, 293/17, PPF/DGOPA-076/19 issued by Mexico's State Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación (SAGARPA). <strong>CC-BY-NC-N</strong>
Occurrence of the Indo-Pacific damselfish Neopomacentrus cyanomos under an oil-loading platform i... more Occurrence of the Indo-Pacific damselfish Neopomacentrus cyanomos under an oil-loading platform in the southwest Gulf of Mexico indicates that the large numbers of such platforms could facilitate the expansion of the geographic range of this species across the western and northern fringes of the Gulf. This study aimed to determine effects of reduced temperatures on the physiology of this tropical Indo-Pacific species, to better predict the possibility of its survival in the Northern Gulf during winter, when sea surface temperatures fall to as low as 18°C. Metabolic distress of animals collected twice under the oil-loading platform 1.5 km from the Cayo Arcas reef (20.21°N, -91.98°W) at 26°C that had been acutely exposed to cold temperature (-4°C h-1 every 24 h) or acclimated (45 days) occurred from 18°C and 20°C, respectively; respiration rates were significantly altered; energy reserves mobilized or drained and oxidative stress was observed. Temperature coefficient (Q10) among lower...
This book is a product of BDMY ((https://www.bdmy.org.mx) project, that was produced with funds o... more This book is a product of BDMY ((https://www.bdmy.org.mx) project, that was produced with funds of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, and CONABIO (Mexico).<br> The information in the book was reviewed and validated by a group of specialists in the taxon. <strong>CC-BY-NC-ND</strong>
Fil: Gonzalez Munoz, Ricardo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas.... more Fil: Gonzalez Munoz, Ricardo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina
Autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) have been proposed as a standardized, passive, nonde... more Autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) have been proposed as a standardized, passive, nondestructive sampling tool. This study assessed the ability of ARMS to capture the cryptic species diversity of two coral reefs by recording species richness and taxonomic representativeness using conventional taxonomy. The capacity of ARMS, as artificial substrates, to favor the establishment of nonindigenous species over native species was also evaluated. The use of ARMS allowed the detection of 370 species morphotypes from nine phyla, yielding 13 new records of geographic distribution expansion, one exotic species for the Gulf of México and the Caribbean Sea, and six newly described species. It was also possible to make spatial comparisons of species richness between both reefs. ARMS captured cryptic diversity exceptionally well, with the exception of echinoderms. Furthermore, these artificial structures did not hinder the colonization ability of native species; in fact, the colonization...
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