Carlos G Muñoz

• Dr. Sc.
• University of Valle

This study examined the effects of the Guineafowl pufferfish (Arothron meleagris), a major corallivore in the Eastern Pacific, on pocilloporid corals on a reef at Gorgona Island, Colombia. Pufferfish occurred at a density of 171.2 individuals ha-1 and fed at a rate of 1.8 bites min-1, which produced a standing bite density of 366.2 bites m-2. We es...

Drift logs have drawn some attention, mostly regarding their function as floating structures for long-distance dispersal of marine organisms. Although drift logs “battering” of intertidal communities has received some attention, the potential effects on coral reefs have not yet been addressed. Based on direct observations, here we describe the effe...

Knowing the gametic development of the coral Pocillopora damicornis and its relationship to environmental variation at La Azufrada reef (2°58′10″N and 78°11′05″W, Gorgona Island, Colombian Pacific Ocean) is essential to understanding the capacity for sexual replenishment of this population. Due to the lack of information about its sexual reproducti...

We present evidence of coral sexual recruitment, which has typically been low in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, on coral reefs and rocky sites of Gorgona Island, Colombia, and for the first time in the Colombian Pacific. With data obtained by thoroughly examining natural substrates, coral juveniles of at least ten species were found at ten out of 19...

Background: A first record of occurrence of the irregular sea urchin Lovenia cordiformis in the Colombian Pacific is herein reported. Results: We collected one specimen of Lovenia cordiformis at Gorgona Island (Colombia) in a shallow sandy bottom next to a coral reef. Basic morphological data and images of the collected specimen are presented. The...

Se hacen cuatro nuevos registros de especies en isla Gorgona, Pacífico colombiano: dos gobios (Gobulus crescentalis y Chriolepis cuneata) y un pez pipa (Cosmocampus arctus), colectados con anestésico en pequeñas colonias de coral aisladas; y un pez globo (Canthigaster janthinoptera) observado y fotografiado. Este estudio extiende el ámbito de distr...

Confirmación de la presencia del coral Pavona chiriquiensis Glynn, Maté y Stemann (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Agariciidae) en el Pacífico colombiano. El género Pavona comprende 18 especies de las cuales Pavona chiriquiensis ha sido recientemente descrita y registrada en varias localidades del Pacífico oriental tropical. A partir de observaciones y colecci...