A survey of the epibiota of Eretmochelys imbricata (Testudines: Cheloniidae) of Mona Island, Puerto Rico

 

Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autore: Schärer, Michelle T.
Natura: artículo original
Status:Versión publicada
Data di pubblicazione:2003
Descrizione:Epibiotic organisms inhabiting non-nesting hawksbill sea turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766), are described from Mona and Monito Islands, Puerto Rico. Epibiont samples from 105 turtles of shallow (< 40 m) water foraging habitats were collected and identified to the lowest possible taxon. This epibiotic assemblage consisting of at least 4 algal functional groups and 12 animal phyla represents the greatest phylogenetic diversity for marine turtle epibiota. Six groups are considered new reports for marine turtles. Most epibiont colonization was found on posterior marginal scutes and under overlapping scutes. Ecological attributes of epibiota and their symbiosis with E. imbricata provide a tool to understand basi and epibiont populations.
Stato:Portal de Revistas UCR
Istituzione:Universidad de Costa Rica
Repositorio:Portal de Revistas UCR
Lingua:Inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/26433
Accesso online:https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/26433
Keyword:Epibiota
Eretmochelys imbricata
epibiont
ecology
Mona Island
Puerto Rico