Paralarvas y juveniles de Octopus bimaculatus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) en el Pacífico sur de México

The distribution and abundance of Octopus bimaculatus paralarvae and juveniles in the Pacific South of Mexico (i.e., 14 to 16°N) are described. A total of 15 paralarvae were collected during three plankton surveys in July, September and November 2001. Size of paralarvae ranged from 0.7 to 2.7 mm Dorsal Mantle Length (ML), with the smallest size corresponding to the ML at hatching. Additionally, three juveniles were collected by scuba diving in a coastal area in 2010, two small juveniles (7.4 and 9.6 mm ML) were found on a rocky area in May (15°40´N, 96°29´W) and one big juvenile (30 mm ML) was captured in a coral reef in December (15°44´N, 96°07´W). The geographic distribution of O. bimaculatus has been reported from California, USA to La Paz B.C.S (Mexico). This study provides new information on the abundance, distribution and size structure of early-stages of O. bimaculatus, redefining the geographic range of this species in the Tropical Eastern Central Pacific.