LAUSR

Mangrove wetlands provide many ecosystem services and support biodiversity. The diversity of epifauna on mangrove roots has not yet been well characterized in many regions compared to other faunal groups, despite its importance for energy transfer. The aim of this study was to integrate and update the taxonomic list of fauna associated with submerged roots of the red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle, to fill an existing gap for the characterization of mangroves in the Colombian Caribbean. A total of 43 bibliographic sources met the search criteria, from which a taxonomic list was compiled. This list included updated species names verified through the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). The literature reviewed revealed a total of nine phyla with 195 families, 344 genera, and 391 species. The greatest species richness is contributed by the phyla Arthropoda (Subphylum Crustacea) with 169 taxa, Mollusca with 141 taxa, and Annelida with 114 taxa. The highest richness was found in Tayrona Ecoregion (TAY) and the lowest in Palomino Ecoregion (PAL). These results reveal submerged roots of R. mangle in the Colombian Caribbean as an important biogenic habitat for biodiversity which is the basis for the development of other ecosystem services and the need to keep working on ecoregions with few or no records.