scholarly journals Eyeless morphotype in the southern stingray (Dasyatis americana): a non-lethal and frequent abnormality from the southern Gulf of Mexico

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 460-469
Author(s):  
Manuel Mendoza-Carranza ◽  
Diego Santiago-Alarcón ◽  
Juan Carlos Pérez-Jiménez ◽  
Chrystian Carolina Hernández-Lazo
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Mature Female ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Bar Code ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Close Relatives

Elasmobranchs are active predators that depend on a highly developed visual system. The eyes of the southern stingray, Dasyatis americana, are adapted to a changing light environment in coastal zones. In this study we use morphological characters and molecular methods (mtDNA COI) to describe an eyeless morphotype of D. americana from six individuals collected from commercial small-scale fisheries on the Campeche Bank (southern Gulf of Mexico). Additionally to the eyeless characteristic, both regular (presence of eye) and eyeless (absence of eye) morphotypes have contrasting quantitative values and qualitative features for different phenotypic traits (color, teeth number, pelvic fin and spiracle form). Mature female and male eyeless morphotype had functional internal reproductive structures. Using the bar code gene, we found conclusive evidence that the eyeless morphotype belongs to the species D. americana. This is the first report on reproductively functional eyeless individuals of this species or close relatives elsewhere, which live sympatrically with regular D. americana individuals in the southern Gulf of Mexico

Comparison between the feeding habits of spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) and their potential prey in the southern Gulf of Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Serrano-Flores ◽  
J.C. Pérez-Jiménez ◽  
I. Méndez-Loeza ◽  
K. Bassos-Hull ◽  
M.J. Ajemian
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Potential Prey ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Ecological Aspects ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Spotted Eagle Ray

In the southern Gulf of Mexico, the spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) is the second most frequently caught batoid in small-scale fisheries off Campeche. Ecological aspects of this ray are unknown in this region, hampering the understanding of the relationship between its distribution and prey availability in the fishing area. In order to study the feeding habits of this batoid and characterize its potential prey in the study area, stomachs and intestines of 154 specimens (68 females and 86 males) were analysed. The results indicated that A. narinari near Campeche is a specialist and selective predator that feeds mainly on gastropods (92.7% IRI), with no significant differences in the diet found between sexes, size groups, or between stomach and intestine contents. In addition, the results indicated that the most important prey species in the diet were among the most common benthic species in three of the four sampling transects positioned in or adjacent to fishing areas for rays. These most important prey species were Strombus pugilis (53.33% IRI) and Americoliva reticularis (25.6% IRI). Other prey species included Lobatus costatus (5.6% IRI) and Petrochirus diogenes (3.6% IRI). This study suggests that this widely distributed ray species feeds in Campeche's coastal waters and that the study of its potential prey increases the understanding of ecological aspects of the species, which emphasizes the added importance of monitoring fishery impacts on prey species (e.g. the conch fishery off Campeche) to help support integrated assessment and management of fisheries.

scholarly journals Length-weight relationships of four finfish commercial species from the southern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-375
Author(s):  
Iván Velázquez-Abunader ◽  
Thierry Brulé ◽  
Miguel A. A. Cabrera ◽  
Jorge A. A. López-Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
The Other ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Allometric Growth ◽  
Mycteroperca Bonaci ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Important Input ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between total length and total weight (LWR) of four commercial species of finfish captured in the southern Gulf of Mexico (Lachnolaimus maximus, Ocyurus chrysurus, Mycteroperca bonaci, and Mycteroperca microlepis) was estimated. Two of these species are captured in the region by the small-scale fleet, while the other two are targeted by small-scale and semi-industrial fleets using harpoons, handlines, and long-lines. For the assessment, the organisms were sampled at the landing decks in the study area in two periods: 1996-1999 (semi-industrial fleet) and from April 2017 to May 2018 (small-scale fleet). A total of 2780 individuals were sampled which 2775 individuals were used to obtain LWR functions. The four species showed negative allometric growth with b < 3 for the 2017-2018 period, two species showed positive allometric growth with b > 3 for the 1996-1999 period. This type of information is an important input for the stock assessment of these species that support important fisheries in the zone and are under high fishing pressure levels.

scholarly journals Critical In-Water Habitats for Post-Nesting Sea Turtles from the Southern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 793
Author(s):  
Abigail Uribe-Martínez ◽  
María de los Angeles Liceaga-Correa ◽  
Eduardo Cuevas
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Physical Features

Marine turtles are globally endangered species that spend more than 95% of their life cycle in in-water habitats. Nevertheless, most of the conservation, recovery and research efforts have targeted the on-land habitats, due to their easier access, where adult females lay their eggs. Targeting the large knowledge gaps on the in-water critical habitats of turtles, particularly in the Large Marine Ecosystem Gulf of Mexico, is crucial for their conservation and recovery in the long term. We used satellite telemetry to track 85 nesting females from their beaches after they nested to identify their feeding and residency habitats, their migratory corridors and to describe the context for those areas. We delimited major migratory corridors in the southern Gulf of Mexico and West Caribbean and described physical features of internesting and feeding home ranges located mainly around the Yucatan Peninsula and Veracruz, Mexico. We also contributed by describing general aggregation and movement patterns for the four marine turtle species in the Atlantic, expanding the knowledge of the studied species. Several tracked individuals emigrated from the Gulf of Mexico to as far as Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Bahamas. This information is critical for identifying gaps in marine protection and for deciphering the spatial connectivity in large ocean basins, and it provides an opportunity to assess potential impacts on marine turtle populations and their habitats.

scholarly journals Hurricane Gustav (2008) Waves and Storm Surge: Hindcast, Synoptic Analysis, and Validation in Southern Louisiana

2011 ◽  
Vol 139 (8) ◽  
pp. 2488-2522 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Dietrich ◽  
J. J. Westerink ◽  
A. B. Kennedy ◽  
J. M. Smith ◽  
R. E. Jensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
Unstructured Mesh ◽  
Wind Waves ◽  
Wave Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Research Division ◽  
Time Histories ◽  
Southern Louisiana

AbstractHurricane Gustav (2008) made landfall in southern Louisiana on 1 September 2008 with its eye never closer than 75 km to New Orleans, but its waves and storm surge threatened to flood the city. Easterly tropical-storm-strength winds impacted the region east of the Mississippi River for 12–15 h, allowing for early surge to develop up to 3.5 m there and enter the river and the city’s navigation canals. During landfall, winds shifted from easterly to southerly, resulting in late surge development and propagation over more than 70 km of marshes on the river’s west bank, over more than 40 km of Caernarvon marsh on the east bank, and into Lake Pontchartrain to the north. Wind waves with estimated significant heights of 15 m developed in the deep Gulf of Mexico but were reduced in size once they reached the continental shelf. The barrier islands further dissipated the waves, and locally generated seas existed behind these effective breaking zones.The hardening and innovative deployment of gauges since Hurricane Katrina (2005) resulted in a wealth of measured data for Gustav. A total of 39 wind wave time histories, 362 water level time histories, and 82 high water marks were available to describe the event. Computational models—including a structured-mesh deepwater wave model (WAM) and a nearshore steady-state wave (STWAVE) model, as well as an unstructured-mesh “simulating waves nearshore” (SWAN) wave model and an advanced circulation (ADCIRC) model—resolve the region with unprecedented levels of detail, with an unstructured mesh spacing of 100–200 m in the wave-breaking zones and 20–50 m in the small-scale channels. Data-assimilated winds were applied using NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division Wind Analysis System (H*Wind) and Interactive Objective Kinematic Analysis (IOKA) procedures. Wave and surge computations from these models are validated comprehensively at the measurement locations ranging from the deep Gulf of Mexico and along the coast to the rivers and floodplains of southern Louisiana and are described and quantified within the context of the evolution of the storm.

Morphological variations of Phrosina semilunata Risso, 1822 juveniles (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea), new evidence from the Gulf of Mexico

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4995 (3) ◽  
pp. 594-600
Author(s):  
MARCO VIOLANTE-HUERTA ◽  
LAURA SANVICENTE-AÑORVE ◽  
MARGARITA HERMOSO-SALAZAR ◽  
AURORA MARRÓN-BECERRA
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Monotypic Genus ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
Morphological Variations ◽  
Stages Of Growth ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Lack Of Knowledge

Lack of knowledge of morphological variations during growth of amphipod crustaceans can result in misidentification of species. In this study, we advance the knowledge of morphological variations of juveniles of the monotypic genus Phrosina Risso, 1822 collected in the oceanic province of the southern Gulf of Mexico. The juveniles differed from the adults mainly in the morphology of pereopods 3 & 4 in that the carpal process is parallel to the propodus, also the rami of the pleopoda consist of only four segments, uropoda 3 are more lanceolate, and the uropoda bear a large prominent spine terminally. These morphological variations have not been described for the species previously. Therefore, the current observations enrich the description of P. semilunata in the early stages of growth and support the need for further taxonomical studiest that could help identify species at different stages of development.  

Distribution of pathogenic vibrios and Vibrio spp. in the water column and sediment samples from the southern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 173 ◽  
pp. 113116
Author(s):  
Johanna Bernáldez-Sarabia ◽  
Marcial L. Lizárraga-Partida ◽  
Edna L. Hernández-López ◽  
Jahaziel Gasperin-Bulbarela ◽  
Alexei F. Licea-Navarro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Sediment Samples ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Pathogenic Vibrios ◽  
Vibrio Spp
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