First report of a spawning site of Limulus polyhemus at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

This study provides first evidence about a spawning site of American horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus at Rio Lagartos, belonging to Biosphere Reserve, in Yucatan, Mexico. In a single day, June 2016, a simple random sampling without replacement was performed. Six transect (BOC 1 - BOC 6) of 10 m of length each one, were measured along the intertidal zone, with 3 quadrants of 1m2 (a, b, c) alternated in each transect. The nests, its depth, and the number of eggs found there were quantified. The temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity and salinity of the water in every quadrant, for triplicate, were measured. The marine sediment was analyzed by means of grain size analysis of Folk. Two nests, with depths in the sediment of 20.1 and 16.8 cm, containing one cluster each one, with 313 and 194 eggs, respectively, were found. The ANOVA did not show significant differences between the physicochemical parameters of the water measured (p>0.05). The results of the sedimentological values demonstrated sediment consisted of sand and poorly classified, presenting a curve very platicurtic. It is possible that the limited number of nests and eggs in our study with regard to the registered on the Atlantic coast of the USA, should be because several factors i.e. the seasonal variation, the morphology of the beach and anthropic activities. It is recommended to increase the studies on reproduction and spawning of L. polyphemus in the RBRL to encourage actions of preservation of the species in critical habitats of Mexico.