Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad (Oct 2007)
Dispersión espacial de Plicopurpura patula pansa en playas rocosas del estado de Guerrero, México Spatial pattern of Plicopurpura patula pansa,in rocky shores of Guerrero, México
Abstract
Plicopurpura patula pansa es un caracol carnívoro característico de las costas rocosas del Pacífico mexicano. Presenta una glándula hipobraquial que secreta un fluido que adquiere una coloración púrpura en presencia de oxígeno y luz solar. Se determinó el arreglo espacial del caracol en playas que difieren en cuanto al tipo de sustrato, exposición al oleaje y pendiente de playa. Se calculó entre 0.1522 y 0.5435. Las menores fluctuaciones del Ip se presentaron en 5 playas que tienen en común sustratos fijos, gran cantidad de grietas y oquedades. Las mayores fluctuaciones correspondieron a 4 playas con sustratos móviles, como los cantos rodados.Plicopurpura patula pansa is a carnivore snail common of the Mexican Pacific rocky shores. Its hypobranchial gland produces a secretion that, in the presence of oxygen and sunlight, becomes purple. We determined the spatial distribution of the snail on beaches that differ in substratum, wave exposure, and the degree substratum’s inclination. The average snail density was calculated. Using the Morisita index (Id) and the Morisita standardized index (Ip), we found that in 96.3% of the samples taken, the snails were distributed according to a patchy distribution. The rest of the time, their distribution was random. The I index oscillated between 0.1522 and 0.5435. Smaller fluctuations of the I index were observed in 5 beaches with substrata that were more stable and had a larger number of cracks and crevices than those on beaches with mobile substrata, such as rolled rocks.
