Abstract

ASCENCIO-ELIZONDO, Claudia  and  SEGOVIA, Johanna. Temporal distribution of Stenella attenuata and Tursiops truncatus in La Libertad, El Salvador. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2019, vol.90, e902838.  Epub Sep 09, 2019. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2019.90.2838.

Behavior, abundance and distribution of marine mammals are associated with seasonal superficial temperature of water and depth of the thermocline. El Salvador does not have distribution and abundance information for cetaceans, and for the Centroamerican region, Costa Rica has identified that they respond to a local seasonality. The study objective was to describe the abundance and temporal seasonality of Stenella attenuata and Tursiops truncatus, observed from the cliffs of La Libertad, El Salvador. Data was obtained during 28 days of sighting from shore, from October 2015 to May 2016, completing 12 hours per day. A total of 74 individuals were registered (49 T. truncatus and 25 S. attenuata). A cluster analysis identified 2 groups: the first one of S. attenuata with high abundance (January and April, 2016); and the second one with 2 sub-groups for T. truncatus, one with low abundance (February and March, 2016), and one with high abundance (October and December, 2016). The results revealed that the temporal distribution for T. truncatus occurs in October and December and for S. attenuata, in January and April. As a result of the seasonality, no mixture of schools was observed.

Keywords : Marine mammals; Dolphins; Sightings; Abundance; Central America.

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