Densidad, crecimiento y reclutamiento del caracol rosado <i>Strombus gigas</i> L. (Gasteropoda: Strombidae) en Quintana Roo, México

Abstract

Density, growth and recruitment of queen conch (Strombus gigas L.) was monthly evaluated in a tbree hectare plot from February 1992 to February 1993. Temperature, dissolved óxygen and salinity were recorded from the water column. Sediment grain size and organic matter content were measured. Apparently, sediment composition and plant cover are important for the presence oF S. gigas. Mean density was 0.0052 ± 0.023 individuals m-2, with juveniles dominating numerically. Recruitment had a bimodal distribution, with peaks in March and December. Using the capture-recapture method, a mean growth oC 4.93 ± 2.47 nunlmonth was calculated. The population size was 415 individuals, too small for commercial exploitation. Punta Gavilan should be protected because biological conditions there are unique and represent a high quality environment for the concho