Alvarado Inland and Coastal Waters and Veracruz Reef System IMMA

Criterion A – Species or Population Vulnerability

The Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) inhabits coastal areas along the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, and the Bay of Campeche (Morales-Vela, 2010; Olivera-Gómez et al., 2022). It is considered Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Deutsch et al., 2008). This species is on the Mexican Official Norm under the Endangered category (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010; SEMARNAT, 2010), with documented local extinctions in the northern Gulf of Mexico, possibly attributed to the increase of anthropogenic activities (Serrano et al., 2007).

Criterion B: Distribution and Abundance

Sub-criterion B1: Small and Resident Populations

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) across these areas form small open resident population and exhibit high site fidelity based in the association, particularly among females (Morteo et al., 2014, 2017; Bolaños-Jiménez et al., 2021). Long-term mark-recapture data from 2002-2016 indicates a small but open population of approximately 120 individuals (Morteo et al., 2017; Bolaños-Jiménez et al., 2021). There are seasonal fluctuations in total abundance due to the presence of prey, but the habitat supports a resident core community comprising about 30% of all individuals, most of which are females (Morteo, 2011; Morteo et al., 2014, 2015, 2017).  This region is a well-known nursing and breeding ground for this species (year-round relative abundance averages 0.31 and 0.14 individuals for young and calves, respectively) (Hernández-Candelario et al., 2015; Escobar-Lazcano, 2019). Demographic parameters such as low abundance, high calf mortality (13-20%) and short nursing time when the calf are separating from their mothers (2.6 y) distinguish this population (or community) from others along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (Martínez-Serrano et al., 2011; Vázquez-Castán et al., 2013; Bazúa & Delgado-Estrella, 2014; García-Vital et al., 2015; Hernández-Candelario et al., 2015; Morales Rincón, 2016; Morteo et al., 2017, 2019; Aguilar-Badillo, 2019; Escobar-Lazcano, 2019; García-Aguilar, 2020; Ojeda-Sánchez, 2020; Bolaños-Jiménez et al., 2021). This area is influenced by the productive mangrove and constitutes a year-round nursing and breeding ground for coastal bottlenose dolphins (Aguilar-Badillo, 2019). High prey abundance also supports this as an extensive feeding area for common bottlenose dolphins, but also promotes intensive interactions with artisanal fisheries (Morteo, 2011; Morteo et al., 2012, 2017; Hernández-Candelario et al., 2015; Rechimont et al., 2018; Ojeda-Sánchez, 2020; García-Aguilar, 2020; Chávez-Martínez et al., 2022; Hernández-García, 2022).

This IMMA contains a small (<100 individuals) resident population of Antillean manatees, which are concentrated in the riverine and lagoon systems of the inland portions of the IMMA, with abundant and diverse flora, including submerged, emergent, floating, and riverbank vegetation (Pablo-Rodríguez et al. 2015). Riverine manatees are opportunistic herbivorous mammals adapted to the seasonal dynamic of the region, including major fluctuations of water levels between dry and wet seasons (Pablo-Rodríguez et al. 2016). Individuals from inland populations may move across the coast from one area to other (Olivera-Gómez et al 2022). However, there is no evidence that manatees from this area travel to the north of the Gulf of Mexico or towards the Caribbean (Deutsch et al. 2022). [/av_textblock] [/av_one_full] [av_one_full first min_height='' vertical_alignment='av-align-top' space='' margin='0px' margin_sync='true' padding='20px' padding_sync='true' border='' border_color='' radius='10px' radius_sync='true' background_color='#3c86be' src='' attachment='' attachment_size='' background_position='top left' background_repeat='no-repeat' animation='' mobile_display='' custom_class='' av_uid='av-3splv8w'] [av_heading heading='Supporting Information' tag='h2' style='blockquote modern-quote modern-centered' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='custom-color-heading' custom_font='#ffffff' custom_class='' admin_preview_bg='' av_uid='av-3d9y0cw'][/av_heading] [/av_one_full] [av_one_full first min_height='' vertical_alignment='av-align-top' space='' margin='0px' margin_sync='true' padding='0px' padding_sync='true' border='' border_color='' radius='0px' radius_sync='true' background_color='' src='' attachment='' attachment_size='' background_position='top left' background_repeat='no-repeat' animation='' mobile_display='' custom_class='download' av_uid='av-379885s'] [av_textblock fold_type='' fold_height='' fold_more='Read more' fold_less='Read less' fold_text_style='' fold_btn_align='' textblock_styling_align='' textblock_styling='' textblock_styling_gap='' textblock_styling_mobile='' size='' av-desktop-font-size='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' font_color='' color='' fold_overlay_color='' fold_text_color='' fold_btn_color='theme-color' fold_btn_bg_color='' fold_btn_font_color='' size-btn-text='' av-desktop-font-size-btn-text='' av-medium-font-size-btn-text='' av-small-font-size-btn-text='' av-mini-font-size-btn-text='' fold_timer='' z_index_fold='' id='' custom_class='' template_class='' element_template='' one_element_template='' av_uid='av-m6j6mpaf' sc_version='1.0' admin_preview_bg=''] Aguilar-Badillo L.I. 2019. Supervivencia de tursiones (Tursiops truncatus) durante su desarrollo temprano en las aguas costeras de Alvarado, Veracruz. Facultad de Biología, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, Veracruz, México. 58 pp.

Bazúa C., and Delgado-Estrella A. 2014. Los tursiones, delfines de la Laguna de Términos, México. Fomix Campeche, 19: 20-27.

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Bolaños-Jiménez J., Morteo E., Delfín-Alfonso C.A., Fruet P.F., Secchi E.R. and Bello-Pineda J. 2021. ‘Population dynamics reveal a core community of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in open waters of the South-Western Gulf of Mexico’. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8:753484. DOI:10.3389/fmars.2021.753484

Bolaños-Jiménez J., Morteo E., Fruet P., Secchi E., Delfín-Alfonso C. and Bello-Pineda J. 2022. ‘Seasonal population parameters reveal sex-related dynamics of bottlenose dolphins off open waters of the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico’. Marine Mammal Science, 38:705-724. DOI:10.1111/MMS.12897

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Chávez-Martínez K., Morteo E., Hernández-Candelario I., Herzka S.Z. and Delfín-Alfonso C.A. 2022. ‘Opportunistic gillnet depredation by common bottlenose dolphins in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico: Testing the relationship with ecological, trophic, and nutritional characteristics of their prey’. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9:870012. DOI:10.3389/fmars.2022.870012

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Gálvez C., Tenorio-Osorio M., Hernández-Candelario I., Delfín-Alfonso C.A. and Morteo E. 2022. ‘Lobomycosis epidemiology, pathology and social affiliations in bottlenose dolphins from the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico’. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9:1018118. DOI:10.3389/fmars.2022.1018118

García-Aguilar, P. 2020. Uso de hábitat del tursión (Tursiops truncatus) en las aguas costeras de Alvarado, Veracruz. Facultad de Biología, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, Veracruz, México. 36 pp.

García-Vital M., Morteo E., Martínez-Serrano I., Delgado-Estrella A. and Bazúa-Durán C. 2015. ‘Inter-individual association levels correlate to behavioral diversity in coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico’. Therya, 6:337-350. DOI:10.12933/therya-15-270

Hernández I., Morteo E., Heckel G., Sosa O., Álvarez G., Flores O. and Martínez-Serrano I. 2015. ‘Caracterización de la distribución espacio-temporal de los tursiones (Tursiops truncatus) y las actividades humanas en el Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano’. E-BIOS, 2:34-52.

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Martínez-Serrano I., Serrano A., Heckel G. & Schramm Y. 2011. ‘Distribution and home range of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off Veracruz, Mexico’. Ciencias Marinas, 37: 379-392

Montano-Frías, J.E. 2009. Polimorfismo en el gen DQβ del Complejo Principal de Histocompatibilidad Clase II en tursiones (Tursiops truncatus) del Golfo de México y Mar Caribe. MSc Thesis. Posgrado en Ecología Marina, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada. Ensenada, B.C. 81 pp.

Morales-Rincón N., Morteo E. and Delfín-Alfonso, C. 2019. ‘Influence of artisanal fisheries on the behavior and social structure of Tursiops truncatus in the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico’. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 99:1841-1849. DOI:10.1017/S002531541900078X

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Morteo E., Rocha-Olivares A. and Abarca-Arenas L.G. 2014. ‘Sexual segregation in coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the south-western Gulf of Mexico’. Aquatic Mammals, 40:375-385. DOI:10.1578/AM.40.4.2014.375

Morteo, E., Martínez-Serrano I., Hernández-Candelario I., Ruiz-Hernández, I.A. and Guzmán-Vargas, E.C. 2015. Distribución, abundancia, residencia y comportamiento del tursión (Tursiops truncatus) en el Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano. Págs. 209-228. En: Granados-Barba, A., Ortiz-Lozano, L.D., Salas-Monreal, D. y González-Gándara, C. (Eds.). Aportes al Conocimiento del Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano: hacia el corredor arrecifal del suroeste del Golfo de México. Universidad Autónoma de Campeche. 366 pp. ISBN 978-607-8444-11-3, doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.2561.6728

Morteo E., Rocha-Olivares A. and Abarca-Arenas L.G. 2017. ‘Abundance, residency and potential hazards for coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off a productive lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico’. Aquatic Mammals, 43:308-319. DOI:10.1578/AM.43.3.2017.308

Morteo, E., Ramírez y Romero T., Del Castillo-Olvera V., Delfín-Alfonso C., Bello-Pineda J., González-Christen A., 2019. Ecología poblacional de delfines (Tursiops truncatus) en el corredor arrecifal del suroeste del Golfo de México. Págs. 191-214. En: Granados-Barba, A., Ortiz-Lozano, L.D., González-Gándara, C. y Salas-Monreal, D. (Eds.). Estudios Científicos en el Corredor Arrecifal del Suroeste del Golfo de México. Universidad Autónoma de Campeche 376 pp. ISBN 978-607-8444-54-0. doi 10.26359/epomex.0319

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Ojeda-Sánchez, A. 2020. Asociaciones y comportamiento de la tonina (Tursiops truncatus) en la región Norte del Estado de Veracruz. MsC Thesis, Universidad Veracruzana. Tuxpan, Veracruz, México.

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Rechimont M.E., Lara-Domínguez A.L., Morteo E., Martínez-Serrano I. and Equihua M. 2018. ‘Depredation by coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico in relation to fishing techniques’. Aquatic Mammals 44:458-470. DOI:10.1578/AM.44.5.2018.458.

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