Ecoregion 7: Paraguaná region, from the isthmus of the Paraguaná Peninsula to
Punta Cardón. This ecoregion is characterized by emergent zones of rocky shores
and great banks of macroalgae with carbonated sandy beaches and high primary
productivity due to seasonal upwelling fronts.
Ecoregion 8: Golfete de Coro, from Punta Cardón to the mouth of the Maracaibo
estuary. This ecoregion is characterized by shallow waters and high sedimentary
load and suspended materials from the Golfo de Coro. There is a high secondary
production mainly associated with penaeid shrimps and sciaenid fishes (corvinas).
Ecoregion 9: Estuarine region of Lake Maracaibo. This ecoregion is characterized
by a continuous perturbation caused by the dredging of the navigation channel
along the strait of Maracaibo. The region has high primary and secondary
productions, the latter associated with crustaceans (shrimp and crabs), bivalve
mollusks and fishes. It is threatened by pollution due to the intense activity of the
oil industry and sewage discharges.
Ecoregion 10: Golfo de Venezuela. This ecoregion is characterized by a wide
coastal platform with shallow bottoms (\50 m). It has a high primary and
secondary production of shrimp and fishes due to the upwelling fronts. Bottom
communities are dominated by detritivorous organisms.
Ecoregion 11: Oceanic Islands which includes all emerged land with the exception
of the Eastern Upwelling Region. This ecoregion is characterized by islands and
archipelagos, with reefs, seagrass and well developed mangrove areas. It has a
high biodiversity. It is a zone shared by marine turtles and birds.
Ecoregion 12: Oceanic area including the Exclusive Economic Zone of Venezuela,
an area with depths beyond 200 m. The biodiversity of this ecoregion is little
known. It has zones with moderately high primary productivity due to their
proximity to upwelling coastal zones.
Ecoregion 13: Cariaco Trench, the depression of the continental shelf below
150 m deep in front of Barcelona and Mochima Bay in eastern Venezuela. This
ecoregion represents a special ecosystem with maximum depths close to 1,400 m
and anoxic water masses below 250 m. The productive processes are based mainly
on chemosynthesis.
In Venezuela, echinoderms have been poorly studied in contrast to other groups
of marine organisms like fish, crustaceans (decapods and peracarids) and mollusks,
which have been grouped, classified and analyzed taxonomically (Rodríguez 1980;
Valdez and Aguilera 1987; Cervigón 1994; Lodeiros et al. 1999; Díaz and Martín
2001; Martín et al. 2002; Martín and Díaz 2003, 2005, 2007; Díaz et al. 2005).
Taxonomic and ecological studies on local echinoderms are scarce and limited, in
spite of the fact that they represent an important component of the biota in the
marine coastal zones (Penchaszadeh 2003). A compilation of studies on echinoderms of Venezuela is presented here, which represents an effort of researchers
from several national and international institutions, whose analyses are a current
description of the status of these marine invertebrates.
238
C. Lodeiros et al.
Punta Cardón. This ecoregion is characterized by emergent zones of rocky shores
and great banks of macroalgae with carbonated sandy beaches and high primary
productivity due to seasonal upwelling fronts.
Ecoregion 8: Golfete de Coro, from Punta Cardón to the mouth of the Maracaibo
estuary. This ecoregion is characterized by shallow waters and high sedimentary
load and suspended materials from the Golfo de Coro. There is a high secondary
production mainly associated with penaeid shrimps and sciaenid fishes (corvinas).
Ecoregion 9: Estuarine region of Lake Maracaibo. This ecoregion is characterized
by a continuous perturbation caused by the dredging of the navigation channel
along the strait of Maracaibo. The region has high primary and secondary
productions, the latter associated with crustaceans (shrimp and crabs), bivalve
mollusks and fishes. It is threatened by pollution due to the intense activity of the
oil industry and sewage discharges.
Ecoregion 10: Golfo de Venezuela. This ecoregion is characterized by a wide
coastal platform with shallow bottoms (\50 m). It has a high primary and
secondary production of shrimp and fishes due to the upwelling fronts. Bottom
communities are dominated by detritivorous organisms.
Ecoregion 11: Oceanic Islands which includes all emerged land with the exception
of the Eastern Upwelling Region. This ecoregion is characterized by islands and
archipelagos, with reefs, seagrass and well developed mangrove areas. It has a
high biodiversity. It is a zone shared by marine turtles and birds.
Ecoregion 12: Oceanic area including the Exclusive Economic Zone of Venezuela,
an area with depths beyond 200 m. The biodiversity of this ecoregion is little
known. It has zones with moderately high primary productivity due to their
proximity to upwelling coastal zones.
Ecoregion 13: Cariaco Trench, the depression of the continental shelf below
150 m deep in front of Barcelona and Mochima Bay in eastern Venezuela. This
ecoregion represents a special ecosystem with maximum depths close to 1,400 m
and anoxic water masses below 250 m. The productive processes are based mainly
on chemosynthesis.
In Venezuela, echinoderms have been poorly studied in contrast to other groups
of marine organisms like fish, crustaceans (decapods and peracarids) and mollusks,
which have been grouped, classified and analyzed taxonomically (Rodríguez 1980;
Valdez and Aguilera 1987; Cervigón 1994; Lodeiros et al. 1999; Díaz and Martín
2001; Martín et al. 2002; Martín and Díaz 2003, 2005, 2007; Díaz et al. 2005).
Taxonomic and ecological studies on local echinoderms are scarce and limited, in
spite of the fact that they represent an important component of the biota in the
marine coastal zones (Penchaszadeh 2003). A compilation of studies on echinoderms of Venezuela is presented here, which represents an effort of researchers
from several national and international institutions, whose analyses are a current
description of the status of these marine invertebrates.
238
C. Lodeiros et al.