Rev. biol. mar. oceanogr. 51(1): 209-215

Research Note

http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-19572016000100023

Occurrence of Panulirus inflatus (Decapoda: Palinuridae) pueruli in the southeastern Gulf of California, Mexico

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.¹, Dagoberto Puga², Luis M. Valadez¹ and Guillermo Rodríguez-Domínguez¹

¹Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Paseo Claussen s/n, C.P.  82000, Apdo. Postal 610, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México

²Instituto Nacional de Pesca, Centro Regional de Investigación Pesquera de Bahía Banderas, Nayarit. Calle Tortuga No. 1, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, C.P. 63732, Nayarit, México

  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The southwestern Gulf of California has high-value commercial fisheries; however, there are few studies of the taxonomic diversity of fish in this area. Surveys of taxonomic diversity of the fish assemblage at 8 localities near the shore of Bahía de La Paz were undertaken from March 2002 to April 2003. Seasonal changes in diversity of rocky reef fish were analyzed, including taxonomic distance among fish species, using the alpha, alpha average, beta, and gamma diversity indices, the taxonomic distinctness index (TD D*), and the average taxonomic distinctness index (AvTD D+). Submarine visual censuses were carried out along 48 transects measuring 100 × 5 m (500 m2) at 5 m average depth from 09:00-16:00 h. Two seasons were studied: winter with an average temperature of 22.57°C, and summer with an average temperature of 27.09°C. 24,633 fishes, belonging to 92 species and 67 genera were recorded. According to the alpha average, beta, and gamma diversity indices, August had the highest diversity (19.5, 40.5, and 60 species, respectively), and December had the lowest diversity (20.6, 27.4, and 48 species, respectively). Spatial analysis of TD and AvTD were not significantly different, and analysis by season of these indices was not significant different. Greater anthropogenic impact would cause differences in TD and AvTD found at El Guano compared with other locations.

This study presents results on the collection of Panulirus inflatus pueruli in seaweed (GuSi; set at the surface) and crevice (Booth: set on the bottom) collectors from April to December 1998 in waters of the southeastern Gulf of California, Mexico. The collectors were deployed at two sites in Mazatlán Bay. A total of 15 pueruli and 26 post-pueruli were collected, of which 4 postpueruli were found in crevice collectors from 10 inspections. Examination of the crevice collectors was difficult because weather conditions made sampling problematic during the year in this zone. Seaweed collectors caught 37 pueruli in 91 observations. Most of the pueruli from these collectors were caught between April and June, with a peak settlement in May (19) and a mean surface water temperature of 24.4°C. The highest catch per unit of effort was 1.36 pueruli per collector per week in May, followed by April (0.33) and June (0.31). Statistical tests showed no significant differences among the moon phases, although the number of pueruli was higher during the first quarter. This is the first record of P. inflatus pueruli in the southeastern Gulf of California on specifically designed collectors.

Key words: Postlarvae, Panulirus inflatus, Gulf of California