CRUSTACEOS DECAPODOS DEL PACIFICO COLOMBIANO: LISTA DE ESPECIES Y CONSIDERACIONES ZOOGEOGRAFICAS

Abstract

The Pacific coast of Colombia has been poorly explored, and its fauna is one of the least known in the tropical eastern Pacific. Although knowledge of the decapod fauna from this coast has recently increased, the information is scattered in numerous sources. A review of the literature showed that 378 decapods have been reported from this coast, including the islands of Gorgona and Malpelo. The numbers of species are distributed as follows; Dendrobranchiata, 18; Caridea,79; Thalassinidea, 13; Palinura, 6; Anomura, 61; and Brachyura, 201 .Twenty-seven species are known exclusively from the Colombian coast, three of which are endemic to the islands of Malpelo or Gorgona. A list of nominal species is presented, including information on distribution, important references, and synonyms under which the taxa have been reported for this coast. A summary of the history of explorations of the Pacific coast of Colombia as it relates to decapods, is presented. Zoogeographic affinities are briefly discussed for the marine species based on published distributions. Affinities are greatest with the Gulf of California (51.8%), followed by the Galápagos (28.6%), the Indo-Pacific (8.8%), and the Caribbean- Atlantic (7.7%).