Distribution of squid paralarvae and related oceanographic features in the eastern Campeche Bank, Mexico

Abstract

The eastern Campeche Bank is a region where the composition, distribution and abundance of one of its most promising resources, the teuthid cephalopods (squids), need to be better documented, particularly at the paralarval stage. To contribute to its knowledge, we obtained paralarvae from zooplankton samples collected from May 2016 to November 2017, relating and modeling their distribution to sea surface temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), zooplankton biomass and depth. The results showed that most paralarvae measured <2.0 mm mantle length. Higher abundances were found during upwelling months. Spatiotemporal segregation of teuthid species was observed, with oceanic paralarvae occurring offshore in May–July, and neritic ones appearing nearshore in September–November, Abralia redfieldi and Doryteuthis plei being the most abundant. Statistical generalized additive model for location, scale and shape showed that A. redfieldi was present in the north (offshore), related to warm Caribbean waters, and increased Chl-a and DO concentration. In contrast, D. plei was present in the south (nearshore), related to Yucatan shelf waters and low Chl-a.