[OANNES Foro] Ecological niches and areas of overlap of the squat lobster ‘munida’ (Pleuroncodes monodon) and anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) off Peru

[raul sanchez]

Progress In Oceanography
Volume 79, Issues 2-4, October-December 2008, Pages 256-263 
The Northern Humboldt Current System: Ocean Dynamics, Ecosystem Processes, and Fisheries 
doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2008.10.019    

Ecological niches and areas of overlap of the squat lobster ‘munida’ (Pleuroncodes monodon) and anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) off Peru 

Mariano Gutiérreza, , , Argiro Ramirezb, Sophie Bertrandc, d, Octavio Mórona and Arnaud Bertranda, d, , 

aInstituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE), Gamarra y General Valle s/n Chucuito, Callao, Peru

bInstituto Colombiano de Desarrollo Rural – INCODER, Colombia

cUniversity of Washington, School of Fisheries, Box 355640, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

dInstitut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), CRH, Avenue Jean Monnet, BP 171, 34203 Sète Cedex, France


Accepted 14 October 2008.  Available online 21 October 2008. 

Abstract
The world’s largest mono-specific fishery, the Peruvian anchovy or anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) fishery, has been the subject of many studies since the 1960s. Details of its relationship with other species have mainly focused on alternations with sardine, Sardinops sagax, and little effort has so far been paid to interactions with other species sharing the same ecosystem. This is the case for Pleuroncodes monodon, the crustacean squat lobster or ’munida’, which has become highly abundant along the Peruvian coast since the mid-1990s. Munida is now an important prey for seabirds, mammals and coastal predatory fish. Knowledge of patterns of distribution and ecological niche of munida is scarce however off Peru. Here we describe and compare spatial patterns of distribution of anchoveta and munida and their ecological niches based on data from 26 acoustic surveys performed along the Peruvian coast between 1998 and 2006. The results indicate that munida
 and anchoveta share ecological niches but that munida is restricted to the coldest part of the productive cold coastal waters whereas anchoveta do not present any temperature preference over a large range (14–23 °C). The recent increase in munida abundance off Peru is concomitant with colder conditions; with their onset munida extended its range from central Chile northwards. Off Peru the very shallow oxycline keeps munida from its usual bottom habitat and has forced it to adopt pelagic behaviour.

Keywords: Munida Pleuroncodes monodon; Anchoveta Engraulis ringens; Ecological niche; Spatial distribution; Peru Humboldt Current System; Upwelling

Saludos,

Raúl E. Sánchez Scaglioni