Diversity, landscape ecology and habitat of species of the genus Procambarus (Crustaceae: Cambaridae) using geographic information systems

Abstract

The decapod crustaceans of the Cambaridae family are the most diverse on the American continent; In Mexico, a diversity of 56 species of the genus Procambarus is reported, however, the diversity and status of the habitat where these species are geographically distributed in the state of Veracruz, Mexico has not been updated, essential information for the sustainable management of their populations and habitat. The objective of the study was to describe the diversity, the municipalities with presence and the habitat status of species of the genus Procambarus for the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The geographical coordinates were classified based on the species reported, the number of records per species per municipality and population location maps were developed through Geographic Information Systems; the presence and characteristics of the habitat were verified through field monitoring. The landscape parameters (configuration and composition) were described from 10 land uses using buffers of 1 km radius; with an ANOVA and a Tukey test, landscape parameters were compared between species. This study reports 20 species and 2 subspecies, 4 species and 2 more subspecies of the genus Procambarus, which had not been reported previously. 22% of Veracruz municipalities have the presence of Procambarus species. The current state of the habitat of the Procambarus species is represented by an agroecosystem, with a low percentage of forest, a high percentage of cultivated area and a high diversity of landscapes, which generate threats to the populations and habitat of the species.