DIVERSIDAD Y ESTADO DE CONSERVACIÓN DE PECES ARRECIFALES EN PLAYA LA ANGOSTA, PROVINCIA DE COLÓN (PANAMÁ)

Coral reefs are considered dynamic environments of great biological importance due to the high diversity of organisms that interact with this ecosystem. Fish, which are part of this diversity, act as environmental controllers through predation, herbivorism and other aspects linked to trophic activities. In the Caribbean area, the decline of fish communities is reported, indicating among its threats: overfishing, pollution, exploitation and climate change. The objective of the study is to determine the Wealth, Abundance and Conservation Status of the ichthyofauna in reef areas of Playa La Angosta, Colon. A description of the benthic coverage was made using the Quadrata technique; for the record of wealth and abundance of fish. Seven day samples were carried out between the months of October and December of 2018, in reef areas of La Angosta beach, four band transects were established, using the method of visual diving census. The Conservation Status was determined from the Red List published by IUCN. A total of 3668 individuals were registered in 43 species, 27 genera and 21 families. The most diverse families are Haemulidae and Labridae with 6 species each, followed by Pomacentridae with 4 species, Scaridae, Lutjanidae, Chaetodontidae and Carangidae with 3 species. The most abundant family was the Labridae family with a total of 1274 individuals representing 34.7% of the taxa studied. It was determined that Lutjanus synagris is in the NT category. It is the first study in this area that reports data on Diversity and Conservation Status of reef fish. It is recommended to establish strategies to conserve both fish diversity and live coral cover.