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Marine Ecology Progress Series

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MEPS 688:69-82 (2022)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14013

Habitat of Argentine squid (Illex argentinus) paralarvae in the southwestern Atlantic

M. L. Torres Alberto1,2,*, M. Saraceno3,4,5, M. Ivanovic2, E. M. Acha1,2

1Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC/UNMdP-CONICET), B7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina
2Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), B7602 Mar del Plata, Argentina
3Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA/CONICET-UBA), C1053 Buenos Aires, Argentina
4Instituto Franco-Argentino para el Estudio del Clima y sus Impactos (UMI IFAECI/ CNRS-CONICET-UBA), C1053 Buenos Aires, Argentina
5Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos (FCEN, UBA), C1053 Buenos Aires, Argentina
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: Illex argentinus is one of Argentina’s most important commercial species and sustains one of the most important cephalopod fisheries worldwide. Catches, and presumably population abundances, show strong interannual fluctuations, probably forced by processes which occur during the species’ early life history. However, knowledge of paralarvae ecology and the influence of the environment on larval survival are fragmentary and limited. In this work, we describe the habitat of I. argentinus paralarvae caught in 4 research cruises between 34° and 42°S, taking into account information on seasonal transport of paralarvae by currents, chlorophyll a concentrations, characteristics of water masses and water column structure. Argentine squid paralarvae habitat is environmentally complex. Paralarvae occur in the plankton when the biological production in the area is relatively low but offshore transport is at a minimum, thus decreasing the chances of the paralarvae being exported to places unsuitable for survival. We discuss how the synchronization of the squid reproductive cycle relates to these environmental events and may improve paralarvae survival and recruitment.


KEY WORDS: Fisheries · Reproductive cycle · Rhynchoteuthion · Ommastrephidae · Shortfin squid


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Cite this article as: Torres Alberto ML, Saraceno M, Ivanovic M, Acha EM (2022) Habitat of Argentine squid (Illex argentinus) paralarvae in the southwestern Atlantic. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 688:69-82. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14013

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