Fouling invertebrates from PVC plates at Chahué Marina, Oaxaca, Southern Pacific coast of Mexico

Abstract

The port fouling fauna from Mexico has recieved greater study in the last 15 years. By improving our knowledge of fouling invertebrates on artificial substrates on the Southern Pacific coast of Mexico, we can better understand their distribution and prevent bioinvasions. The specimens listed in this present study come from PVC plates that were placed between June 2019 to June 2020 submerged at 1 m depth, on four docks of the Chahué Marina, Oaxaca, Mexico. Forty-four taxa, representing nine phyla were identi-fied: Sipuncula (1 species), Entoprocta (1), Bryozoa (3), Arthropoda (3), Porifera (4), Cnidaria (5), Chordata (6), Mollusca (10) and Annelida (11). Thirty taxa were identified to species, with two still requiring confirmation. Five were identified to genus, two to family, and five to class level. From the 30 identified species, 18 were non-native species: one entoproct, one mollusk, two bryozoans, three hydrozoans, three barnacles, four polychaetes, and four ascidians. These results include seven new records from the state of Oaxaca: one entoproct, one barnacle, two bryozoans, and three hydrozoans.