Gobiidae, Eleotridae y Oxudercidae en sistemas estuarinos de Veracruz: diversidad, ecología y clave de identificación de estadios tempranos

• DOI: Paola

• Palavras-chave: ictioplancton, gobioideos, larvas de peces, estuarios tropicales, identificación taxonómica, ontogenia, Veracruz

• Keywords: ichthyoplankton, gobioid fishes, larval identification, estuarine ecology, ontogeny, Gulf of Mexico

• Abstract: Estuarine systems along the coast of Veracruz, in the Gulf of Mexico, support a high diversity of fishes, particularly those belonging to the families Gobiidae, Eleotridae, and Oxudercidae, which play key ecological roles in these environments. Despite their importance, the identification of early life stages remains challenging due to morphological similarity and incomplete diagnostic development. This chapter synthesizes over four decades of systematic sampling in estuarine-lagoon systems and presents an identification key based on meristic, morphometric, and pigmentation characters, validated through ontogenetic series and retrospective analyses. Patterns of distribution, abundance, and habitat use are described, highlighting ontogenetic shifts and ecological differentiation among species. The proposed key represents a practical and robust tool for identifying estuarine and potentially marine species during early developmental stages. This contribution strengthens ecological, taxonomic, and monitoring studies in tropical coastal ecosystems and provides a baseline for future research on fish early life history.