Digital Commons Network^™

Cephalopods Of The Broad Caribbean: Distribution, Abundance, And Ecological Importance, Heather L. Judkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Broad Caribbean region is defined as the Gulf of Mexico, and the coastal and marine areas of the Caribbean Sea, including the chain of islands forming the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and the gulf coasts of the United States, Central and South America (Stanley, 1995). The cephalopods of the Broad Caribbean were examined in terms of distribution, abundance, and ecological importance. A suite of 5190 preserved cephalopod specimens were identified and catalogued to produce regional maps of cephalopod distribution within the Broad Caribbean. Eighteen range extensions were noted for known species. Regional species richness …