María Lourdes Estalles

• Dra. Ciencias Biológicas
• PhD at Administración de Parques Nacionales

This study quantifies and describes the diet composition and variability, and the trophic ecology of Sympterygia bonapartii (Batoidea: Arhynchobatidae) in the San Matías Gulf, northern Patagonia, Argentina. A total of 1,047 stomachs were analyzed and 98 % of them contained food. The low proportion of empty stomachs recorded and the presence of prey...

Seahorses (Genus Hippocampus) are rarely reported as prey items. Their low population numbers, their ability to blend with the environment and their low palatability are the features making them an unsuitable option for predators. Five individuals of the Patagonian seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus were found in the stomach of a single narrownose sm...

1. Rafting has been proposed as a dispersive mechanism for some species of seahorses. Juvenile Hippocampus patagonicus rafting on the sea surface have been reported. This life stage has high mortality in nature due to ecological and environmental factors usually affecting juvenile planktonic teleosts (e.g. predation). 2. In this study, 50 juvenile...

Results of the 2017 IUCN Regional Red List Workshop for Species of the Patagonian Sea: CHONDRICHTHYANS.

Results of the 2017 IUCN Regional Red List Workshop for Species of the Patagonian Sea: CHONDRICHTHYANS, with 35 species of rays, skates and sharks listed: Amblyraja doellojuradoi; Atlantoraja castelnaui; Atlantoraja cyclophora; Atlantoraja platana; Bathyraja albomaculata; Bathyraja brachyurops; Bathyraja cousseauae; Bathyraja griseocauda; Bathyraja...

A new species of pipefish Leptonotus vincentae sp. nov. (Syngnathidae) is described on the basis of 12 specimens found in shallow waters (<2 m depth) of San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina, in the south‐west Atlantic Ocean. The species is distinguished from congeners by the combination of: dorsal‐fin rays 30–33, pectoral‐fin rays 12–13, trunk rin...

El Diseño Curricular para la Educación Inicial de la provincia de Río Negro ha sido producto de un largo proceso de debate y construcción colectiva. En él se expresa la direccionalidad de la política educativa de la jurisdicción y se manifiesta la intención y la esperanza transformadora de nuestra sociedad. Implica asimismo una prescripción que ser...

Hippocampus patagonicus is a coastal species of seahorse that inhabits waters from northeastern Brazil to Chubut, Argentina. The major habitats occupied by the species include seagrasses, macroalgae, and sheltered areas with sessile invertabrates. The species is threatened by habitat degradation and loss from coastal development and destructive fis...

This study estimates and analyses the reproductive parameters and cycle of Sympterygia bonapartii in San Matías Gulf, northern Patagonia, Argentina. A total of 827 males and 1,299 females were analysed. Males ranged from 185 to 687 mm of total length (TL) and females from 180 to 742 mm TL. Sexual dimorphism was detected; females were larger, heavie...

Based on data gathered during interviews with local artisanal fishermen and seahorses collected by them, Hippocampus patagonicus Piacentino & Luzzatto 2004 was found to occur in coastal waters of Monte Hermoso, southwestern Buenos Aires province, Argentina. High catches spanning several years and the identification of specimens confirm the presence...

Background: Angelsharks (Genus Squatina) are distributed in the southern Southwest Atlantic Ocean between southeastern Brazil and central Patagonia. The endangered hidden angelshark Squatina occulta is reported in the literature as ranging from Espírito Santo, Brazil to Southern Uruguay. Its presence in Argentine waters has been suspected but not v...

El género Squatina se encuentra representado, desde el sur de Brasil hasta el norte de Patagonia, por tres especies nominales: Squatina guggenheim, S. argentina y S. occulta. Debido a la similitud en su morfología externa y a problemas con su taxonomía y nomenclatura, estas especies fueron erróneamente identificadas y citadas durante años, particul...

The aim of the contribution of Gonzalez et al. (2014) was to improve the original description and validate the taxonomic status of the Patagonian seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus Piacentino & Luzzatto 2004. To do so, the authors analysed morphological and genetic characteristics of seahorses of San Antonio Bay, Argentina. Concerning both issues, th...

A total of 477 juvenile Hippocampus patagonicus recorded in 80 sampling events were detected rafting on the surface during high tide at San Antonio Bay, northern Patagonia, Argentina. If rafting juveniles drift long distances beyond their original populations, they have the potential to form new populations, which may explain the wide distribution...

The reproductive biology of Psammobatis lentiginosa was studied in San Matías Gulf (Patagonia, south-west Atlantic). A total of 1033 skates was analysed, total length ranged from 17 to 52 cm for females and from 13 to 55 cm for males. Total length–total weights relationships differed between sexes, with TW = 0.005 × TL3.02 for females and TW = 0.00...

Argentina is one of the countries with the largest overall landings of skates and rays (24 000 t/year). As a consequence of high levels of exploitation and deficient management tools, many of these species are threatened with extinction. In the bottom trawl fishery of San Matías Gulf, northern Patagonia, skates and rays are caught as bycatch and al...

Resumen The San Matías Gulf (SMG; 41°- 42° S; 64°- 65° W) is the largest gulf in Northern Patagonia, Argentina. Up to date, the chondrichthyan fauna of this area has not been reported. Therefore, the aim of this work is to provide a list with species presence and biological characteristics of the chondrichthyans recorded in SMG during the last 30...

The Electric ray Discopyge tschudii is distributed in the Southwest Atlantic from southern Brazil to southern Argentina and in the Southeast Pacific from Peru to southern Chile. The main threat to this species is fishing. Discopyge tschudii is noncommercial and individuals caught are discarded on board. The present study analyzes the distribution a...

SummaryA total of 230 specimens of the skate, Rioraja agassizii, was collected from the commercial bottom trawl fishery of Puerto Quequén, Argentina. During the warmer seasons greater proportions of females were sampled. The largest male and female sampled were 629 and 698 mm total length (TL), respectively. Sexual dimorphism was detected in the re...