Isopoda

Isopoda , western Mexico, sea grasses.

Isopods are common inhabitants of marine vegetation, including algae and sea grasses, which they use as shelter and food (Boström and Matt ila, 1999; 2005). Th ey play an important role in fragmentation of vegetation and its incorporation into the trophic webs ( Robertson and Mann, 1980). Idoteidae are also important prey of larger predators such as fishes ( Wallerstein and Brusca, 1982).

Idoteidae View in CoL of the Gulf of California were reviewed by Brusca and Wallerstein (1977) who listed eight species in four genera. Two years later, the same authors reported a total of 11 species and proposed a key to the species known from the Gulf of California ( Brusca and Wallerstein, 1979). Espinosa-Pérez and Hendrickx (2001) included 13 species of Idoteidae View in CoL for the entire tropical eastern Pacific (western Mexico to northern Peru). Of these, all, except Edotia sublittoralis Menzies and Barnard, 1959 View in CoL , have been recorded in the Gulf of California at that time. More recently, Brusca et al. (2005) reported 13 species from the Gulf of California including a 13th species, Idotea metallica Bosc, 1802 View in CoL , which has not been reported in previous compilations. During sampling in Kino Bay, in the northern Gulf of California, many crustaceans were collected among sea grasses. This material included two species of Idoteidae View in CoL which are reported here.