DISTRIBUCIÓN DE LOS HÁBITATS BENTÓNICOS DE LA LAGUNA DEL ARRECIFE ENMEDIO, SISTEMA ARRECIFAL LOBOS-TUXPAN, MÉXICO.

The conservation of the coral reefs lies in the proper management of these marine ecosystems, however it is necessary to provide biological information to know what we must protect. Therefore, in order to formulate effective management strategies, descriptions of coral communities are needed. Under this context, the distribution of dominant benthic habitats of the Enmedio reef's plateau is described. Geographical data of benthic components in the reef lagoon were recorded by free diving during the November 2014-April 2016 period. The spatial information was obtained essentially from photographic records using a digital camera with a receiver using global positioning system (GPS). A thematic map was generated with the data obtained through the simple kriging method. The descriptions of the reef landscapes were complemented by a number of species assemblage, consisting mainly of the benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. Eight benthic habitats in the plain of the Enmedio reef are differentiated and represented mainly by the species Acropora palmata, Millepora alcicornis, Orbicella annularis, Pseudodiploria clivosa, Porites furcata, Palythoa caribaeorum, Eunicea flexuosa and two benthic funds: reef crest and debris. The areas of O. annularis and A. palmata are the most important reef landscapes because these species concentrated a greater number of associated species. These zones subsequently share greater similarity in the assemblage of species compared to other benthic components. The distribution of the benthic components is similar to other regions of the Atlantic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]