Abstract

VELASQUEZ, Francisco; PRIETO, Antulio  and  PRIETO, Esaul. Embryonic mortality in four nest of leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea in San Luis beach, sector los chivos, Cumaná, Sucre state. Saber [online]. 2014, vol.26, n.3, pp.243-248. ISSN 1315-0162.

We analyzed the reproductive characteristics of four nets of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) which spawned in San Luis beach, sector Los Chivos, Cumaná, Sucre State. The turtles deposited a total of 312 eggs (=78 per nest), of which 102 eggs showed no apparent development (= 25.50), 13 were dead embryos (= 3.25) and 155 were coral type eggs (without fecundation) (= 38.75). Among the dead embryos (13), 84.62% had reached the late embryonic state (EETT) and the rest the medium state (EEM). The average hatching success was 65.94%, with a minimum value in a turtle that laid 77 eggs (46.75 %) and the maximum (91.17 %) in another who laid 72 eggs. There was a high correlation between the number of eggs without apparent development (HSDA) and corals, with a highly significant relationship (r = 0.97) between weight and curved carapace length in embryos.

Keywords : Eggs without apparent development (HWDA); corals; hatching success; curve carapace length.

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