Catalogo descriptivo de los moluscos litorales (Gastropoda y Pelecypoda) de la zona de Antofagasta, 23°S (Chile)

This descriptive catalogue of the nearshore molluscs of the Antofagasta area (Northern Chile) was compiled to provide some basic information on 68 species of gastropods and 34 species of pelecypods (102 species in total). For each species it is indicated : the reference diagnosis, the biogeographic range (according to previous works), the major morphological characteristics of the shell, some relevant ecological and biological data, and a graphic representation of a typical shell. The main results of the study deal with new records of species which had not been reported until to now in the area. We confirm the presence of the following species in the surroundings of Antofagasta : #Tricolia umbilicata$, #Eatoniella (E.) latina$, #Salitra radwini$, #Mitra (A.) orientalis$, #Iselica carotica$, #Bulla (B.) punctulata$, Atrina cf. oldroydii$, #Kellia tumbesiana$, #Linnucula pisum$, #Cyclocardia cf. compressa$, #Ensis macha$, #Eurhomalea lenticularis$, #Scurria plana$, #Scurria bohmita$, #Crepipatella dorsata$, #Crepidula philippiana$, #Sinum cymba$, #Bursa (R.) ventricosa$, #Xanthochorus buxea$, #Cancellaria (S.) buccinoides$, #Barbatia (A.) pusilla$, #Chama pellucida$, #Diplodonta inconspicua$, #Donax peruvianus$, and #Cumingia mutica$. Some of the newly reported species often correspond to species which had not been correctly identified previously, or which had not been observed until now. In the most protected area of San Jorge Bay we collected samples of some species which normally live in warm waters and which seem to benefit from anomalous oceanographic and climatic conditions related to strong El Nino events. (Résumé d'auteur