aquatic fauna

Caribbean Bryozoa: Anasca and Ascophora Imperfecta of the inner bays of Curaçao and Bonaire

The present paper deals with the Anasca and Ascophora Imperfecta of the inland bays of Curaçao and Bonaire. Collections were made by P. Wagenaar Hummelinck (1930, 1936/ 37, 1948/49, 1955, 1963/64, 1968, 1970, and 1973) and by the author (1982), and stored in the collections of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden. A total of 25 species – almost all occurring in inland bays – are described here and fully illustrated. Six new species are established: Crassimarginatella harmeri, Scrupocellaria curacaoensis, Scrupocellaria carmabi, Scrupocellaria piscaderaensis, Scrupocellaria hildae and Bugula hummelincki. Attention is given to the ecology of the species. The bays have been compared as to species composition in relation to substrate and conditions during collecting.

Date
1986
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Bonaire
Curacao

Bromeliad Invertebrate Communities on Saba, Netherlands Antilles

We sampled tank bromeliads and censused their invertebrate fauna at four elevations on the small Caribbean island of Saba. We expected that invertebrate communities would show a strong response to the elevational gradient, as found on the larger island of Puerto Rico, but there was no difference in overall animal abundance, species richness, or biomass in bromeliads at the different sites. A weak rainfall gradient and relatively recent anthropogenic disturbance may be reasons for the lack of elevational response. The structure of the community in dry forest bromeliads was different from those in the wetter forests, due to the dominance of the larvae of one particular species (Forcipomyia antiguensis). The aquatic larvae of some bromeliad-specialist genera (e.g., Monopelopia, Corethrella, Wyeomyia, and Scirtes) common in other Caribbean and mainland sites were absent from Saba. Their absence may be due to the target island effect, which reduces the chances of successful immigration and survival on small islands.

Date
2014
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Saba
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