A total of 21 helminth species were recovered from 52 specimens of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus , captured in the reef Santiaguillo, Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano, State of Veracruz, in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. These helminths included 9 trematodes (7 adults and 2 metacercariae), 4 nematodes (3 adults and 1 larva), 4 acanthocephalans (1 adult and 3 juvenile), 2 cestodes (both larvae), and 2 monogeneans. Sixteen of the 21 species are new host records; 7 are common species with a prevalence >40% and mean intensity >4.1. The monogenean Euryhaliotrema tubocirrus was the most-prevalent parasite with a prevalence of 78.8%, followed by the intestinal plerocercoids of Tetraphyllidea with a prevalence of 59.6%. The richness (S = 21), and diversity (Shannon index H = 2.17) in the component community, as well as in the infracommunity level (S = 5.1 ± 2.2, H = 0.92 ± 0.4), was similar to those found in other marine fish of temperate and tropical latitudes. The present study suggests that the composition of the parasite community is associated with the host feeding habits because 18/21 of the recorded species are trophically transmitted.

Microplastic contamination has become a topic of interest and concern worldwide due to its persistence and the possible effects it may cause to the environment. When microplastics are present, they can alter their physical properties, negatively affecting the surrounding fauna, such as sea turtles that use the beaches to nest in the sand. In this study, the exposure of sea turtle nests to microplastics on the beaches of Nautla and Vega de Alatorre, Veracruz, one of the main nesting areas for the green turtle Chelonia mydas, as well as Kemp’s ridley turtle Lepidochelis kempii from the Gulf of Mexico, was determined. Sand samples were obtained directly from the nests in situ on four beaches in the area and from two nesting pens, revealing the presence of microplastics in 100% of the nests in situ, with an average abundance of 2.43 ± 2.66 #MP/kg SS and a concentration of 0.00672 ± 0.02286 mgMP/kg SS, predominantly the form of foam, white in color, and from 1 to 2 mm in size.

Cada año se vierten millones de metros cúbicos de aguas residuales a los cuerpos de agua, las cuales son tratadas de forma inadecuada, siendo estos procedimientos ineficientes para alcanzar lo requerido por la ley o para uso dentro de los procesos industriales. En estos casos, y debido a la escasez del hídrico, se está recurriendo al uso de los procesos de oxidación avanzada como tratamiento alternativo. Estos procesos se basan en procesos fisicoquímicos capaces de producir cambios profundos en la estructura química de los contaminantes, involucrando la generación y uso de especies transitorias de gran poder oxidante, principalmente el radical hidroxilo, el cual puede ser generado por medios fotoquímicos o por otras formas de energía y posee alta efectividad para la oxidación de materia orgánica. Esta revisión tiene como objetivo realizar un análisis de la influencia de los tratamientos en el proceso de descontaminación.

Concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn) were measured in the muscle of 30 specimens of Pterois volitans, captured on April 2018, in the Veracruz Reef System National Park (VRSNP), Veracruz, Mexico. Concentrations, in the samples, were quantified with atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), after microwave digestion. Results of the mean concentration, in descending order were V = 7.3 ± 0.7; Pb = 0.66 ± 0.07; Zn = 0.43 ± 0.14; and Cd = 0.03 ± 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight. These values did not exceeded limits established in the Mexican National Standard (NOM-242-SSA1-2009), of Cd and Pb (0.5 mg kg⁻¹) wet weight. This means that consumption of lionfish from this site does not pose a potential risk for human health.