Arrecife Cabezo

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Location on Continental Shelf
Inner-Shelf Bank
Area of Coverage
18.92km2
Width
2.50km
Length
6.20km
Maximum Depth
24.00m

From: INE, 1992; NOAA, 2004; Tunnell, 2007
Cabezo is considered an emergent platform type reef that forms part of the Southern Veracruz Reef System, located off the fishing village of Anton Lizardo in the western Gulf of Mexico. In 1992, the Mexican government declared the system a Natural Protected Area with a National Marine Park status. It is the largest reef in the southwestern part of the gulf and it is positioned approximately 15 km from the mainland. It is associated with an island named Isla El Aguila, which has no vegetation except for the presence of Sesuvium.

Community Structure

The northwestern end of Cabezo is more complex in terms of Scleractinian species richness, diversity and topographic heterogeneity. Cabezo is the biggest reef of the Veracruz Reef System and it accounts for the highest coral coverage and diversity on both slopes and on the reef flat on the northwest edge.

References

  • Instituto Nacional de Ecologia (INE). 1992. DECRETO por el que se declara área natural protegida con el carácter de Parque Marino Nacional, la zona conocida como Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano. Web accessed on Feb. 2, 2004.

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2004. NOAA Fisheries. National Marine Fisheries Service, International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).

  • 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.

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