Plesiochorus cymbiformis (Rudolphi, 1819) Looss, 1901 (Digenea: Gorgoderidae) in Olive Ridley Sea turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) (Testudines: Chelonidae) from the Brazilian coast: New geographic occurrence and associated injuries

Summary The present study reports the first occurrence of Plesiochorus cymbiformis (Digenea: Gorgoderidae), in two Olive Ridley Sea turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (Testudines: Chelonidae), from the states of São Paulo and Sergipe in Brazilian coast. Concerning the Neotropical region, P. cymbiformis has been previously reported in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Panama and Brazil, in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from Brazil, in hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from Puerto Rico, and in Olive Ridley Sea turtles only in Costa Rica. Lesions resulting from the presence of parasites in the hosts’ urinary bladders are also presented. This is the second report on endoparasites in Olive Ridley sea turtles from Brazil.

Nesting trends of olive ridley sea turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (Testudinata: Cheloniidae) on two beaches in Northwestern Mexico after 30 and 40 years of conservation

Introduction: Although olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are the most abundant sea turtles in the world, quantitative information is scarce and unevenly distributed among regions. There are many management and conservation programs for this species, and assessments are necessary to identify nesting trends and effectively manage current conservation programs. PROTORMAR-UAS is a Research and Conservation program for the olive ridley turtle created by the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Mexico. The program utilizes two biological stations: Santuario Playa Ceuta (SPC) and Playa Caimanero (PC). Objective: To evaluate the nesting trend of olive ridley turtles on two beaches in Northwestern Mexico and to predict prospective nesting trends for the next 30 years. Methods: Using annual nesting data collected over 40 years at SPC (1976-2016) and 30 years at PC (1986-2016), we evaluated nesting trends, hatching success, predation and poaching of olive ridley turtles on the two beaches in Northwestern Mexico. Then, prospective nesting estimates for the next 30 years were calculated predictive time series model. Results: A positive and significant correlation was identified between the number of annual nests and time for both beaches (rho = 0.850, P ≤ 0.01 for SPC; rho = 0.677, P ≤ 0.01 for PC); the average hatching success rates were 65.09 at SPC and 60.72 % at PC. The predictive time-series model indicated that the numbers of nests will continue to increase through 2045, increasing three-fold at SPC and six-fold at PC with respect to the last year of monitoring. Conclusions: There was a clear positive trend in the number of olive ridley sea turtle nests at both sites, which is consistent with trends found in other recent studies from the region. Therefore, we suggest that PC be designated a legally protected nesting area since it is located within the latitudinal limits of olive ridley nesting and given the need for resources for camp operation considering increased nesting and current problems with predation and poaching. Because in Mexico operating a nesting beach without any protection status implies not having a budget for its management.

Oxidative stress is a potential cost of synchronous nesting in olive ridley sea turtles

Olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea, exhibit a polymorphic reproductive behaviour nesting in solitary or in mass aggregations termed "arribadas", where thousands of turtles nest at once. Arribadas may provide fitness benefits including mate finding during nearshore aggregations and predator satiation at the time of hatching, but the potential costs of arribada nesting remain understudied. To explore the potential trade-offs of the fitness benefits associated with arribada nesting, we collected blood from olive ridley turtles nesting in arribada and solitary. We measured reproductive and metabolic hormones (progesterone, estradiol, testosterone, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine), triglycerides (TG), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and markers of oxidative damage (4-hydroxynonenal, malondialdehyde, protein carbonyls, and nitrotyrosine). Arribada nesters were bigger and had higher levels of progesterone than solitary nesters. Similarly, thyroid hormones were higher in individuals nesting in arribada than in solitary nesters, while TG and NEFA were positively correlated in arribada but not in solitary nesters. Nesting in arribada was associated with increased lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyls compared to solitary nesting. These results suggest that nesting in arribada is potentially more energetically expensive than nesting solitarily, and that oxidative stress may be a trade-off of the fitness benefits associated with arribada nesting.

Biochemical Parameter Analysis of Rescued Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Background: The olive ridley sea turtle also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle is a medium-sized species of turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Sea Turtles are an integral part of coastal and marine ecosystems, they have also been fundamental to the culture of coastal societies for millennia. But human activities over the past 200 years have massively tipped the scales against the survival of these ancient mariners, despite its conservation status the olive ridley are considered vulnerable. The aim of the study was to collect biochemical data on olive ridley sea turtles while drawing comparisons with previous published data on sea turtles. Methods: This research work was carried out in rescued Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) which were stranded or rescued during various periods of breeding season from September, 2017 to April, 2018 by Trust for Environmental and Education (TREE) foundation, Vettuvankeni, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Clinical samples were collected from 7 sea turtles in rescue centers and examined for biochemical parameters analysis. The biochemical parameters measured were Glucose, cholesterol, Total protein, albumin and globulin, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Creatinine, Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Calcium and Phosphorus. The statistical analyses of data were carried out by using student’s t-test. Result: The results of this study were more or less unfailing with previous studies but variations with other studies may result from values depends upon the geospatial distribution such as species, age, sex, season, sample site, nutrition and management condition. The data in this research was more specific to olive ridley sea turtles, indicating need to standardize reference values because of little know data on these turtle species, which are intended for health evaluation for free-ranging and captive/rescued sea turtles.