Ecological aspects of dormitator maculatus Bloch, 1792 in the Alvarado Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

A study was carried out to assess the biological aspects of Dormitator maculatus, analyzing sex ratio, diet, and growth estimates based on the von Bertalanffy model. All organisms were captured with the help of 50 m. long cast fishing lines at ten sampling stations monitored between May 2015 and May 2017. 642 subjects were captured ranging between 3 to 14.7 cm total length for males, 3.9 to 15.9 cm for females. Sex ratio is 1:1 female:male, they consume nine different types of food, mainly Ruppia marítima, detritus, benthic algae and ostracods. The constants for the von Bertalanffy model for frequency analysis were, a Maximum Length (MaxL) of 22.37 cm for males, 22.71 and 22.93 cm or females, k= 0.20785 and 0.17199 for males, 0.20856 and 0.16749 for females. For scale analysis, the growth rate was MaxL =19.51, and k=0.26642. The grown rate estimate (Ø’) ranging from 1.93 to 2.03 with the different adjustments. Currently, there is a reduction in population that may endanger its exploitation, affecting other species that feed from it, is recommended to increase the number of studies that aim at predicting the possible environmental impacts on productive use systems involving the ichthyofauna that inhabits the Alvarado lagoon.