I. Lopez-salgado et al., The copepod community (Crustacea) in middle scale swirls of the western Gulf of Mexico (July, 1995), REV BIOL TR, 48(1), 2000, pp. 169-179
The pelagic copepod community of the oceanic area off the Mexican state of
Tamaulipas was surveyed in June-July 1995. During the period and area surve
yed, two mesoscale gyres, a cyclone and an anticyclone, were detected. The
influence of each was related to a particular area. A total of 106 copepod
species was determined. Copepod density, diversity, and species richness di
ffered between the areas affected by the cyclone and the anticyclone. The o
verall density in the two areas was similar, but copepods at the cyclone nu
cleus were slightly denser than in the anticyclonic nucleus. Diversity and
species richness were higher at the relatively more productive cyclone area
. Anticyclones are oceanic, oligotrophic systems with a strong Caribbean in
fluence, and the local copepod community structure, dominated by some of th
e most abundant species in the Caribbean, and with relatively lower diversi
ty and species richness, seemed to agree with the anticyclone features. The
copepod fauna of the cyclone, mainly built up by common Gulf water, showed
a higher diversity and species richness, and a higher affinity with the fa
una of the Gulf. The distributional range of several species is extended in
this survey and some are reported herein for the first time in the Gulf of
Mexico.