Diversity of Epibionts Associated with Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz 1829) Sea Turtles Nesting in the Mexican South Pacific

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Epibionts are organisms that live or grow attached to other living beings, and sea turtles can be suitable habitat for these organisms because they provide a large and diverse substrate. They usually have interspecific relationships of the commensal type; however, some species become parasitic and may cause severe damage, mainly in soft areas. Epibionts provide us with information on the migratory habits of sea turtles and can indicate health status. There are several studies on epibionts and their relationships with sea turtles; however, it is essential to expand research to increase the knowledge that will allow us to comprehend these relationships and their implications. In this study, we analyze the richness, abundance, diversity, prevalence, body distribution, and interspecific relationships of epibionts with Lepidochelys olivacea turtles nesting in the Mexican South Pacific, relate turtle size with the presence of epibionts, characterize the body distribution of epibionts, determine the affinity in species composition, and document the interspecific relationships. ABSTRACT: The present study contributes to the knowledge of epibionts recorded on sea turtles that nested on a beach in the South Pacific of Mexico. A total of 125 Lepidochelys olivacea turtles nested on Llano Real beach, Guerrero, Mexico, were examined. We collected 450 conspicuous organisms from 8 species from 43 turtles. The corresponding data analysis was carried out to obtain the relative abundance, the relationship between turtle sizes and the presence of organisms, the similarity of species between the sampling months, and the interspecific relationships between the epibionts and the turtles observed. Chelonibia testudinaria was the most abundant species, while Remora remora was the least abundant species. The turtles were divided into six body sections, with the greatest abundance of these organisms located in the head–neck section of turtles, and there was a significant difference in the size of the turtles that presented epibionts and those that did not. C. testudinaria showed greater similarity between sampling months, and the interspecific relationships recorded were commensalism, parasitism, amensalism, and protocooperation. This research contributes the first record of epibionts in L. olivacea nesting in Guerrero, Mexico.