Reproductive biology of the dart squid, Lolliguncula diomedeae (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) from Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico

ABSTRACT

Lolliguncula diomedeae is captured incidentally in the by-catch of the shrimp trawl fishery, however, there is little information about its life history. Therefore, data on reproductive indicators were collected in this study to evaluate the reproductive biology of L. diomedeae in the Gulf of Tehuantepec. A total of 1525 specimens, 1354 females with dorsal mantle length (ML) ranging from 18.9 to 90.3 mm and 171 males with 29.2 to 63.1 mm ML. The sex ratio was 8:1 females/males, with two reproductive peaks, one more intense in November and the other moderate in May. The first maturity size (L50) for females was 66.65 and 40.79 mm in males. The histological analysis showed five stages of development: pre-vitellogenesis, vitellogenesis, post-vitellogenesis, spawning, and post-spawning; with the simultaneous presence of oocytes at different stages. In relation to the results found and the consistent presence of post-ovulatory follicles and oocytes of different sizes and developments, we can infer that L. diomedeae is a multiple reproducer, as it spawns in batches in different periods of time in the study area, which can be considered as an adaptation strategy in response to regional environmental changes.

KEYWORDS:

• Artisanal fishery
• fecundity
• loliginids
• mating
• multiple spawning
• shrimp trawl fishery

Acknowledgements

Funding for this study was provided by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT; National Council on Science and Technology) (PDCPN-2015-1740) as part of the study ‘Calamares: Recurso pesquero alterativo para la costa de Oaxaca’ (Squid as alternative fishery resource for the coast of Oaxaca). Thanks to the Centro Regional de Investigación Pesquera in Salina Cruz (CRIPS; Regional Fishery Research Center) in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. Hugo Alonso helped during data collection and prepared the map. MCAP thanks the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI-CONACyT; CONACyT National System of Researchers) program.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this study was provided by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT; National Council on Science and Technology) (PDCPN-2015-1740) as part of the study ‘Calamares: Recurso pesquero alterativo para la costa de Oaxaca’ (Squid as alternative fishery resource for the coast of Oaxaca).