The distribution range of the jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) has increased over the past few decades; it is now found in the entire Eastern Pacific Ocean and is considered an important species in the small and large fisheries of Chile, Perú, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico but not in the Pacific region of Colombia. Three night-fishing campaigns were conducted over a year in the coastal Baudó-San Juan environmental unit, adjacent to the Bajo Baudó Encanto de Manglares Regional Integrated Management District in Chocó, at three locations 20 km, 35 km, and 45 km from the coastline to establish the availability and viability of jumbo squid as an alternative to the target species of artisanal fisheries in the Colombian Pacific. Night fishing sets were conducted at 60 m and 200 m depth at each sampling station to assess some of the biological parameters of the jumbo squid population (mantle length-ML, weight, growth and size at sexual maturity). Most catches were obtained in February and March. Growth was isometric, the average catch size was 24.3 cm ML, size at sexual maturity (L₅₀) was 23.25 cm ML, estimated maximum size (L∞) was 39.9 cm ML, the growth constant (K) was 0.83, and mortality due to experimental fishing was 26 cm ML. According to our results, the jumbo squid fishery in the Colombian Pacific artisanal fishery would be viable during the first months of the year.

Objetivo: Conformar el listado taxonómico de las larvas de peces asociadas a la columna de agua del arrecife coralino de La Azufrada, Pacífico Oriental Tropical (POT), en el periodo comprendido entre 2017 a 2019, acompañado con el tipo de hábitat que ocupa la especie en estado adulto y el estadio de desarrollo en el que se encontró la larva. Alcance: Incrementar el conocimiento sobre la riqueza de las especies de peces marinos asociados a formaciones coralinas en el Pacífico colombiano a través de los estadios iniciales del desarrollo. Metodología: Durante dos campañas de muestreo anuales (marzo y septiembre) de 2017 a 2019, se realizaron recolectas de zooplancton diurnas y nocturnas en nueve estaciones de muestreo dispuestas sobre el arrecife coralino de La Azufrada en isla Gorgona utilizando una red bongo con luz de malla de 300 y 500 micras. En laboratorio, se separaron todas las larvas de peces de las muestras de zooplancton y se identificaron hasta el menor nivel taxonómico posible. Resultados: Se capturaron 4779 larvas de peces, siendo identificadas 88 especies, pertenecientes a 46 familias. Cuarenta y una especies se registraron por primera vez para esta localidad, incrementando el registro a 162 taxa. Las familias más abundantes fueron Engraulidae, Bregmacerotidae, Haemulidae, Myctophidae y Carangidae, estando el ensamblaje dominado por especies pelágico-costeras (Bregmaceros bathymaster), pelágica (Cetengraulis mysticetus) y batipelágica (Diaphus pacificus). Conclusión: Se incrementó el conocimiento científico sobre la presencia de larvas de peces en los arrecifes coralinos del Pacífico oriental tropical colombiano, información que permitirá fortalecer las acciones y estrategias de conservación de este ecosistema estratégico.

Estuaries are vital coastal ecosystems that support fish during key life stages such as spawning, feeding, and early development. This study investigates ichthyoplankton composition and abundance in the Sanquianga Tapaje estuarine system, located in the southern Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) of Colombia. Zooplankton samples were collected using bongo nets at 11 stations across four river mouths (Tapaje, Amárales, Sanquianga, and Guascama), alongside measurements of oceanographic parameters at 1 and 10 m depths. A total of 357 fish larvae were identified, representing 23 species and 11 families, with Engraulidae, Gobiidae, and Carangidae dominating the assemblage. Water column conditions reflected typical tropical estuarine dynamics, influenced by tidal action and freshwater input. Spearman’s rank correlation revealed strong positive associations between larval abundance and surface salinity (r_s = 0.81, p = 0.003), as well as dissolved oxygen saturation and concentration (r_s > 0.68, p < 0.021). Diversity indices (Shannon, Pielou, Whittaker) indicated high species turnover in transitional zones, and larval hotspots were associated with outer estuarine zones. Salinity and dissolved oxygen emerged as key drivers of ichthyoplankton distribution. These findings underscore the ecological complexity and nursery function of tropical estuaries, offering baseline data to inform biodiversity conservation, ecosystem monitoring, and adaptive management in Colombia’s Pacific region and across the ETP.

The seasonal and interannual temporal variation in the composition, richness, diversity, and similarity of fish larval assemblages associated with an Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) coral reef system was studied in March (cold water) and September (warm water) during the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. Throughout the study period, we collected 4779 fish larvae and identified 88 taxa, encompassing 46 families. This increased the total number of recorded fish taxa for the region to 146. Fish larvae were collected by daytime and nighttime surface trawls, using a bongo net 30 cm in diameter and 180 cm in length, equipped with mesh sizes of 300 and 500 μm. The species diversity and abundance of ichthyoplankton over this ETP coral reef changed by intra-annual variation of the hydrological conditions of the upper layer of the sea. Six significant assemblages were identified (SIMPROF, p < 0.05), each one associated with each sampling period (ANOSIM, R = 0.764); Cetengraulis mysticetus, Diaphus pacificus, Anchoa sp., Anisotremus sp., Bremaceros bathymaster, Oligoplites saurus, Caranx sp., Seriola sp., Gobiidae sp., Microgobius sp., and Synodus evermanni were the species that contributed to dissimilitude between groups. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed significant associations between specific larval fish taxa abundance and temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and zooplankton biomass. Overall, the assemblage of ichthyoplankton in this ETP coral reef system is sensitive to seasonal changes in water column hydrographic conditions.

La asociación entre la morfología y el hábitat ha sido demostrada en muchos estudios de morfología funcional, por lo cual cambios a nivel de hábitat pueden ser reflejados en los atributos morfológicos de las comunidades. El presente estudio evaluó si existen diferencias en las características morfológicas del ensamblaje de aves paseriformes entre dos zonas con diferente grado de perturbación; para lo cual, se realizaron capturas con redes de niebla y se registraron características morfométricas de los individuos capturados. Se encontró que existe una tendencia hacia la diferenciación morfológica de las aves passeriformes entre las zonas y que estas se deben principalmente a las relaciones entre las longitudes de los tarsos, las alas y la cola con la longitud total. A partir de estas relaciones, se establecieron dos morfologías básicas: las aves de bosque tienen alas cortas, tarsos y cola larga; mientras que las aves de la zona intervenida presentan alas largas, tarsos y cola corta. Sin embargo, se encontraron aves con morfologías intermedias en ambas zonas. Por lo tanto, los resultados sugieren que los hábitats intervenidos cambian no solo la composición de especies sino también las características morfológicas de los ensamblajes de Passeriformes debido, probablemente, a un proceso de homogenización biótica.

The seasonal and interannual temporal variation of the structure, richness, diversity and similarity of fish larval assemblages associated to an Eastern Tropical Pacific coral reef system, was assessed for the period 2017 to 2019. A total of 4779 fish larvae were captured, of which 4556 (95% of the total) were identified, belonging to 88 species and 46 families, and increasing the number of larvae of fish species reported to 162 taxa. Based on the analysis of similarity between oceanographic seasons and between years, six significant groups were established (SIMPROF, p < 0.05), each group made up of the nine sampling stations belonging to each study period (ANOSIM, R = 0.764). C. mysticetus, D. pacificus, Anchoa sp., Anisotremus sp., B. bathymaster, O. saurus, Caranx sp., Seriola sp., Gobiidae sp., Microgobius sp., and S. evermanni were the species that contributed to the differentiation of the groups. Species richness distribution during the sampling periods was variable and did not show a clear temporal or annual trend. However, the fish larvae assamblages were ordered according with the cold and warm seasons, suggesting that intra-annual variation has a strong influence on the temporal dynamics of fish larval assemblages in ETP coral reef systems.