Distribution and species richness of caprellids (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the Mexican Pacific

Background: The caprellid fauna from different localities along the Mexican Pacific coast: Sinaloa (3), Nayarit (15), Jalisco (9) and Colima (1) are presented herein. Methods: A total of 1,093 specimens associated with diverse substrates (octocorals, hydroids, algae, coral rubble and sponge) were recorded. Results: Eight species in four genera were identified: Aciconula acanthosoma Chess 1989; Caprella mendax Mayer 1903; Caprella pitu Sánchez-Moyano, García-Ascencio and Guerra-García 2014; Caprella suprapiscis Galván-Villa and Ayón-Parente 2015; Paracaprella carballoi Sánchez-Moyano, García-Ascencio and Guerra-García 2014; Paracaprella isabelae Sánchez-Moyano, García-Ascencio and Guerra-García 2014; Paracaprella pusilla Mayer 1890; and Liropus isabelensis Sánchez-Moyano, García-Ascencio and Guerra-García 2014. Conclusions: The new records increase the known species richness in the region at local level, including extensions of the known ranges for all the species. These results highlight the need for a large scale survey along the Mexican Pacific coast, along with a more thorough sampling on a large number of substrata, in order to increase the knowledge of caprellid diversity in the area.