Epibiontes en juveniles de tortugas carey Eretmochelys imbricata varadas en la costa del departamento de Rocha, Uruguay

Abstract

The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is the most threatened sea turtle species in the world. An important aspect of the biology of sea turtles is the study of colonizing fauna, i.e., their epibiota. The aim of this study is a taxonomic determination on the epibiota found on 4 hawksbills turtles stranded in 2009 and 2011 on the coast of Rocha Department, Uruguay. The epibiota was composed by algae from the class Phaeophyceae (Sphacelaria sp. and Hincksia mitchelliae) and invertebrates from the classes Cirripedia (Platylepas hexastylos, Chelonibia testudinaria and Amphibalanus improvisus) and Hirudinea (Ozobranchus margoi), with greater predominance of P. hexastylos cirripeds (n= 365), a result that is consistent with other similar studies. Hincksia mitchelliae and A. improvisus are new reports as hawksbill turtles’ epibiota.