Macrozoobenthos as estimator of potential food for the spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in three zones south of pinar del Rio, Cuba

Due to the importance of benthic communities in the food chain, and because some benthos components comprise the diet of Spiny Lobsters (Panulirus argus), we evaluated macro- and some elements of megazoobentos in three zones (Bacunagua, Dayanigua, and Coloma) south of Pinar del Rio, in western Cuba. Sampling was done in July and November (2003) and February (2004), using an Ekman dredge (0.02 m super(2) effective sampling area), and separating organisms in sieves with 4.0, 1.0 and 0.5 mm mesh sizes. Abiotic variables in water (temperature and salinity) and sediment (granulometry) were also analyzed. A total of 1,935 organisms were registered (447.9 org/m super(2)), including polychaetes (41.8%), nematodes (11.2%), sipunculids (4.1%), mollusks (25.0%), and crustaceans (5.3%). Greater organism density and more representative groups were observed in Bacunagua zone, and macrozoobenthos abundance was highest in February. Total organism density was 94.6% less than in previous years, and only 49.1% of macrozoobenthos represented potential food for lobsters. We estimate that spiny lobsters have diminished by 82.7%. High salinities were detected near the coast. We conclude that macrozoobentos does not display satisfactory development in the study areas, suggesting that potential foods for P. argus may be considerably diminished.