First record of a potential neonate tiger shark ( Galeocerdo cuvier ) at a remote oceanic island in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Gelatinous zooplankton are an abundant and diverse group of animals in the pelagic environment. However, knowledge of species diversity and spatial distributions, as well as their ecological role, is scarce. We present information of epi- and mesopelagic gelatinous zooplankton recorded by the ‘DeepSee’ submersible between 2006 and 2012 at Isla del Coco (Cocos Island), Costa Rica, an oceanic island in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Two species of scyphomedusae, three species of hydromedusae, two genera of siphonophores, and two species of ctenophores were observed in the videos, at depths between 50 and 400 m. None of these species had been previously recorded in the waters around the island. Furthermore, except for the jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca and a siphonophore in the genus Praya, all are new records for Costa Rican waters. This study also includes the first record of the cnidarians Modeeria rotunda, Solmissus sp., Halitrephes maasi and Apolemia spp., and the ctenophore Thalassocalyce inconstans in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. We show that surveys in regions with little information about gelatinous zooplankton may broaden our knowledge of their natural history and may result in new records of gelatinous species.

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Elasmobranchs observed in deepwaters (45-330m) at Isla del Coco National Park, Costa Rica (Eastern Tropical Pacific)

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v60i3.28373 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 257-273

Author(s):

José Cortés ◽

Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez ◽

J. Alexander Rodríguez-Arrieta ◽

Geovanna Quirós-Barrantes ◽

Paula C. González ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

National Park ◽

First Record ◽

Tropical Pacific ◽

Tiger Shark ◽

Eastern Tropical Pacific ◽

Marine Fauna ◽

Scalloped Hammerhead ◽

Manta Birostris ◽

Spotted Eagle Ray

Isla del Coco is an oceanic island 500km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is a National Park and its marine fauna has been relatively well protected. The island is famous for its elasmobranch (sharks, rays and skates) sightings in shallow waters. Here we present a catalogue of the deepwater elasmobranchs observed with the DeepSee submersible. Five species of sharks, six species of skates and one ray have been observed between 45 and 330m depth. Triaenodon obesus, the white tip reef shark, was commonly observed between 80 and 301m, but only in the afternoons. Sphyrna lewini, the scalloped hammerhead shark, was observed as deep a 303m, but commonly between 45 and 90m, and close to the island. Odontaspis ferox, the smalltooth sand tiger shark, was observed between 82 and 316m. Echinorhinus cookei, the prickly shark, was observed between 91 and 320m. Rhincodon typus, the whale shark, was observed only close to the island, between 77 and 80m. Taeniura meyeni, the marbled ray, was observed only close to the island, between 45 and 90m. A Dasyatis sp., similar to the the diamond stingray, was observed only once close to the island at 60m; this is the first report of this genus at Isla del Coco National Park. Manta birostris, the giant manta, was only observed close to the island at 90m. Mobula tarapacana, the sicklefin devil ray, was observed between 60 and 326m, extending its maximum depth almost 10 times what has been reported. Aetobatus narinari, the spotted eagle ray, was observed only close to the island between 60 and 82m. Torpedo peruana, the Peruvian torpedo ray, was observed only once at 313m, and is the first record of this species from Isla del Coco National Park. Citation: Cortés, J., A. Sánchez-Jiménez, J.A. Rodríguez-Arrieta, G. Quirós-Barrantes, P.C. González & S. Blum. 2012. Elasmobranchs observed in deepwaters (45-330m) at Isla del Coco National Park, Costa Rica (Eastern Tropical Pacific). Rev. Biol. Trop. 60 (Suppl. 3): 257-273. Epub 2012 Dec 01.

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First record of an adult Galapagos slipper lobster, Scyllarides astori, (Decapoda, Scyllaridae) from Isla del Coco, Eastern Tropical Pacific

Marine Biodiversity Records ◽

10.1186/s41200-016-0030-9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Juan Carlos Azofeifa-Solano ◽

Manon Fourriére ◽

Patrick Horgan

Keyword(s):

First Record ◽

Tropical Pacific ◽

Eastern Tropical Pacific

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First record of Coronida glasselli (Stomatopoda: Coronididae) for Costa Rica (Isla del Coco National Park, Eastern Tropical Pacific)

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v64i1.23452 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 231 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carolina Salas-Moya ◽

Rita Vargas-Castillo

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

First Record ◽

Tropical Pacific ◽

Shallow Waters ◽

Rocky Reef ◽

Washington Dc ◽

National Museum ◽

Eastern Tropical Pacific ◽

Intertidal Zones ◽

Reef Environments

<p><strong>S</strong>tomatopods are a small group of marine and estuarine crustaceans that inhabit several marine ecosystems including deep, shallow waters, and intertidal zones. Six species from five families have been reported from the Park. We add <em>Coronida glasselli</em> Manning, 1976 from rocky reef environments at Isla del Coco. In the Eastern Tropical Pacific the species was reported only from Isla Gorgona, Colombia. There are species from Isla Uva, Panamá in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC.</p><div> </div>

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A new species ofPontella(Calanoida, Pontellidae) from an oceanic island of the eastern tropical Pacific

Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington ◽

10.2988/00006-324x-128.2.137 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 128 (2) ◽

pp. 137-151

Author(s):

Octavio Esquivel Garrote ◽

Eduardo Suárez-Morales ◽

Alvaro Morales-Ramírez

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Tropical Pacific ◽

Oceanic Island ◽

Eastern Tropical Pacific ◽

A New Species

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Marine biodiversity of an Eastern Tropical Pacific oceanic island, Isla del Coco, Costa Rica

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v60i3.28356 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 131-185

Author(s):

Jorge Cortés

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

National Park ◽

Tropical Pacific ◽

Oceanic Island ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

Eastern Tropical Pacific ◽

Heritage Site ◽

Unesco World Heritage Site ◽

Bony Fishes

Isla del Coco (also known as Cocos Island) is an oceanic island in the Eastern Tropical Pacific; it is part of the largest national park of Costa Rica and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island has been visited since the 16th Century due to its abundance of freshwater and wood. Marine biodiversity studies of the island started in the late 19th Century, with an intense period of research in the 1930’s, and again from the mid 1990’s to the present. The information is scattered and, in some cases, in old publications that are difficult to access. Here I have compiled published records of the marine organisms of the island. At least 1688 species are recorded, with the gastropods (383 species), bony fishes (354 spp.) and crustaceans (at least 263 spp.) being the most species-rich groups; 45 species are endemic to Isla del Coco National Park (2.7% of the total). The number of species per kilometer of coastline and by square kilometer of seabed shallower than 200m deep are the highest recorded in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Although the marine biodiversity of Isla del Coco is relatively well known, there are regions that need more exploration, for example, the south side, the pelagic environments, and deeper waters. Also, several groups of organisms, such as the flatworms, nematodes, nemerteans, and gelatinous zooplankton, have been observed around the Island but have been poorly studied or not at all. Citation: Cortés, J. 2012. Marine biodiversity of an Eastern Tropical Pacific oceanic island, Isla del Coco, Costa Rica. Rev. Biol. Trop. 60 (Suppl. 3): 131-185. Epub 2012 Dec 01

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