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¹ Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas

A comparison of pteropod assemblages and their relationship with environmental factors in the southerncoastal and oceanic zones of the Gulf of Mexico (GM) was performed during the springs (May–June) of2006 and 2010. Zooplankton samples came from catches of 136 oblique tows with a Bongo net (0.61m inmouth diameter; mesh 505 µm) and included 20 species of Euthecosomata, six of Pseudothecosomata, andthree species and three genera of Gymnosomata. Four new records were found for the area (Diacavoliniastrangulata, Cymbulia sibogae, Paraclione longicaudata and Thliptodon diaphanus). The most abundant species wereCreseis conica, Limacina trochiformis and Creseis acicula, followed by Heliconoides inflatus. Pteropod abundance washigher in the neritic zone, particularly in the area of the epicontinental water discharge at the coastal frontof the Veracruz-Tabasco zone, while higher diversity was observed in the oceanic zone. The cluster analysesand canonical correspondence analyses showed two assemblages (station groups) in each period:Oceanic and Coastal. The Oceanic assemblage was composed of species of oceanic origin with two indicatorspecies (H. inflatus and Limacina lesueurii). This assemblage was correlated with increased sea surface temperature,at least during 2006, probably modulated by the influence of the Loop Current. The Coastalassemblage included both oceanic and neritic species and was subdivided into three, geographically distinct,station zones: (1) Veracruz-Tabasco zone characterized by Desmopterus papilio and L. trochiformis, theirabundances inversely correlated with salinity and increased CO2, and influenced by river discharges andthe narrow continental shelf; (2) Yucatan zone characterized by C. conica as an indicator species (2006);and (3) Confluence zone characterized by C. acicula (Laguna de Términos). Yucatan and Confluence zoneswere characterized by elevated pH, and reduced turbidity and temperature, at least during 2010.

Palabras clave: taxonomy; descriptive statistics; Pterópoda; southwest Gulf of Mexico

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