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Arrecife Triángulo Oeste
Triángulo Oeste is an emergent platform reef that forms part of the Campeche Bank Reefs system. It is located 193 km from the mainland, it is 656 m in length and 300 m in width; its longest axis runs in a NW-SE direction. In the Southern end, a small cay is present. It is associated with the island that bears the same name, Triángulo Oeste, where a manned lighthouse is present. Location on Continental Shelf: Outer-Shelf Bank Coordinates: 20.95° N 92.23° W Nearest Largest City: Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Selected Characteristics: Width: 0.3 km Length: 0.7 km Maximum Depth: 18 m Community Structure: The flora of the Campeche Bank islands such as Triángulo Oeste is closely related to that of the shores of the Yucatán Península and to Caribbean islands rather than with the Mexican mainland flora, where it shows relatively few affinities. Dominant Campeche Bank island native vegetation includes: the grasses Sporobolus virginicus and Cenchrus insularis, the succulents Sesuvian portulacastrum, Portulaca oleracea, and Batis maritime. The perennials Cakile edentula var. alacranensis and Chamaesyce buxifolia and the shrubs Suriana maritima and Tournefortia gnaphalodes. Other less common species include: Cyperus planifolius, Cenchrus pauciflorus, Tribulus alacranensis, Atriplex pentandra, Scaevola plumieri, Salicornia bigelovii and Ipomoea pes-caprae. Introduced vegetation on the Campeche Bank islands is generally associated with those islands where human activity exists, such as running a lighthouse, as in the case of Triángulo Oeste. Some species were likely introduced intentionally for use as food, ornamentals, or protection from the sun as shade: Coccoloba uvifera, Cocos nucifera, Cordia dodecandra, Crinum americanum, Terminalia catappa and Casuarina equisetifolia among others. Triángulo Oeste along with other Campeche Bank coral reef-island complexes have significant seabird nesting colonies, but unfortunately, there are no historical nesting records on this permanent island. References: International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). 2004. National Oceanic Atmospheric Adminsitration, National Marine Fisheries Service Coral Reefs and Communities of the Gulf of Mexico-Campeche Bank. URL: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/PR/fpweb/icri/text/343b.htm (Accessed on Feb.24, 2004). Tunnell, J.W., Jr. 2007. Reef Distribution (chapter 2). In Tunnell, J.W. Jr., Chavez, E.O. and Withers, K. (eds) Coral Reefs of the Southern Gulf of Mexico. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX, 216 p. Additional Information: International Coral Reef Initiative ICRI Keywords: Reef, Island, Emergent platform, Lighthouse, Introduced vegetation |
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Harte
Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
To give proper credit to the original authors, please cite information taken from GulfBase by the original source as displayed. 
To cite GulfBase, use:
M. Nipper, J.A. Sánchez Chávez,
and J.W. Tunnell, Jr., Editors. 2010.
GulfBase: Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico Research.
World Wide
Web electronic publication. http://www.gulfbase.org, 29 July 2010. |
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