There are remarkable differences between the two coasts in terms of climatic,
geological, oceanographic, ecological, and biological features (Botero and AlvarezLeón 2000; Marrugo-González et al. 2000). In addition, coastal morphology, climate, and physical oceanographic processes vary greatly along spatial gradients as
well as seasonally within both the Caribbean and the Pacific. These features allow
the great majority of tropical marine habitats to be well represented in Colombia.
Considering that each habitat harbors its own particular biota, the total diversity of
marine organisms in such a variety of environments is likely to be very high. Their
study represents a huge challenge for future biological research.
The information presented in this chapter is derived from a compilation and
review of the knowledge of Colombian echinoderms, based on diverse sources of
information such as published echinoderm studies, undergraduate thesis, technical
reports and extracted information from databases of museums as National Museum
of Natural History (NMNH) and other databases available such as Biodiversity
Marine Information System (SIBM) of Colombia, Ocean Biogeographic Information System (www.iobis.org) and Inter-American Biodiversity Information
Network (www.iabin.net). This chapter represents a baseline study of echinoderms
in Colombia, useful for continuing and developing further research. Because of the
physical and biological differences for the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of
Colombia, as well as historical differences in the research carried out on these two
regions, the information is presented separately for the two coasts.
5.1.1 Colombian Caribbean Sea
The Colombian Caribbean coast extends from 8°40
0 N and 77°21
0 W at the PanamaColombia border, northeastwards to 11°55
0 N and 71°18
0 W at the ColombiaVenezuela border (Fig. 5.2). San Andrés and Providencia archipelago (between
12°–15° N and 79°–82° W) are two high-standing oceanic islands and a series of
atolls and coral banks which are aligned in a NNE direction along the lower
Nicaragua Rise. The total coastline of the Colombian Caribbean is 1,937 km, with
a terrestrial area of 6,958 km
2
, insular area of 79 km
2 , and territorial sea of
532,162 km
2 . It includes eight departments: Guajira, Magdalena, Atlántico,
Bolivar, Sucre, Cordoba, Antioquia and San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina (INVEMAR 2010).
There is a remarkable climatic gradient along the Caribbean mainland coast.
The northernmost part of the Guajira peninsula is extremely dry and hot and the
land vegetation is very sparse. In contrast, annual precipitation in the area around
the gulf of Urabá, close to the Panama boundary is continue and is over
3,000 mm year
-1 , and coastal plains and mountains there are covered by dense
tropical rain forest. The Urabá region represents a northern outpost of the Chocó
diversity hot spot for the terrestrial biota (Gentry 1986).
On the other hand, geomorphologic, physical oceanographic and ecological
processes vary greatly along spatial gradients as well as seasonally within the
5 Echinoderms of Colombia
147
geological, oceanographic, ecological, and biological features (Botero and AlvarezLeón 2000; Marrugo-González et al. 2000). In addition, coastal morphology, climate, and physical oceanographic processes vary greatly along spatial gradients as
well as seasonally within both the Caribbean and the Pacific. These features allow
the great majority of tropical marine habitats to be well represented in Colombia.
Considering that each habitat harbors its own particular biota, the total diversity of
marine organisms in such a variety of environments is likely to be very high. Their
study represents a huge challenge for future biological research.
The information presented in this chapter is derived from a compilation and
review of the knowledge of Colombian echinoderms, based on diverse sources of
information such as published echinoderm studies, undergraduate thesis, technical
reports and extracted information from databases of museums as National Museum
of Natural History (NMNH) and other databases available such as Biodiversity
Marine Information System (SIBM) of Colombia, Ocean Biogeographic Information System (www.iobis.org) and Inter-American Biodiversity Information
Network (www.iabin.net). This chapter represents a baseline study of echinoderms
in Colombia, useful for continuing and developing further research. Because of the
physical and biological differences for the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of
Colombia, as well as historical differences in the research carried out on these two
regions, the information is presented separately for the two coasts.
5.1.1 Colombian Caribbean Sea
The Colombian Caribbean coast extends from 8°40
0 N and 77°21
0 W at the PanamaColombia border, northeastwards to 11°55
0 N and 71°18
0 W at the ColombiaVenezuela border (Fig. 5.2). San Andrés and Providencia archipelago (between
12°–15° N and 79°–82° W) are two high-standing oceanic islands and a series of
atolls and coral banks which are aligned in a NNE direction along the lower
Nicaragua Rise. The total coastline of the Colombian Caribbean is 1,937 km, with
a terrestrial area of 6,958 km
2
, insular area of 79 km
2 , and territorial sea of
532,162 km
2 . It includes eight departments: Guajira, Magdalena, Atlántico,
Bolivar, Sucre, Cordoba, Antioquia and San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina (INVEMAR 2010).
There is a remarkable climatic gradient along the Caribbean mainland coast.
The northernmost part of the Guajira peninsula is extremely dry and hot and the
land vegetation is very sparse. In contrast, annual precipitation in the area around
the gulf of Urabá, close to the Panama boundary is continue and is over
3,000 mm year
-1 , and coastal plains and mountains there are covered by dense
tropical rain forest. The Urabá region represents a northern outpost of the Chocó
diversity hot spot for the terrestrial biota (Gentry 1986).
On the other hand, geomorphologic, physical oceanographic and ecological
processes vary greatly along spatial gradients as well as seasonally within the
5 Echinoderms of Colombia
147