SOME ASPECTS OF THE POPULATION BIOLOGY OF SEA HARE Aplysia dactylomela RANG, 1828 IN TWO BEACHES FROM CEARÁ STATE, BRAZIL

Authors

  • Luis Ernesto Arruda Bezerra Doutorando do Departamento de Oceanografia da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av da Arquitetura, S/N, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE
  • Ana Fontenele Urano Carvalho Professor-Adjunto do Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Fortaleza, CE 60455-760.
  • Helena Matthews Cascon Professor-Adjunto do Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Fortaleza, CE 60455-760.
  • Vânia Maria Maciel Melo Professor-Adjunto do Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Fortaleza, CE 60455-760.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32360/acmar.v39i1-2.6369

Keywords:

This work describes the population biology of the sea hare, Aplysia dactylomela, at two beaches in Ceará State, Brazil. Their habitats were monthly examined for one-year period, at low tide during daytime and the number, size, spawning

Abstract

This work describes the population biology of the sea hare, Aplysia dactylomela , at two beaches in Ceará State, Brazil. Their habitats were monthly examined for one-year period, at low tide during daytime and the number, size, spawning and breeding behavior were registered. Feeding habits were determined by observation of seaweed species consumed in the field and by dissecting and examining the gut contents of the sea hares. The results showed that the population density of A. dactylomela in tropical waters from Brazil is much lower than those described for populations of temperate and subtropical regions. This might be explained by the intense sun radiation of tropical regions since the other environmental factors were suitable to their settlement. Despite the low density, A. dactylomela is found throughout theyear, with recruitment peaks on February and March. Both population density and animal size were different in the two beaches, what might be due to differences in seaweed abundance and quality, degree of sun exposure and man-caused pollution.

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Published

2017-02-06

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Artigos originais