Volumen 42 - Número 2: 157-165 | 2007
Article

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Dispersal patterns of shrimp larvae and postlarvae of the genus Solenocera

Mario A. Gómez^1* and Adolfo Gracia¹

¹Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado postal 70-305, 04510 México D. F., México

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The abundance and the dispersal processes during the larval and postlarval stages of Solenocera spp. (Burkenroad, 1939) is analyzed. Data were collected in three oceanographic cruises performed in the south of the Campeche Bay, Mexico, during summer and autumn 1993 and spring 1994. Summer was the period with the highest abundance with an average larval density of protozoea, mysis, and postlarvae of 19.8, 22.1, and 1.9 organisms per 100 m³ respectively. In general, larvae presented a typical daily migration pattern. They moved from deep areas to the surface at night, whereas during the day they tended to move downwards. Protozoeae were most frequently distributed at the surface levels, whereas mysis were rather caught at deeper levels. In general, protozoea and mysis were distributed at depths above the thermocline, halocline and pycnocline. Food availability seems to be the most important factor determining Solenocera spp. vertical distribution.

Key words: Crustacea, plankton, distribution, seasonal abundance, vertical migration