Aspectos de nidificação e infestação de ovos de tartarugas marinhas da espécie Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) na praia da Pipa, município de Tibau do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil.

Abstract

The state of Rio Grande do Norte is an important spawning area of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata Linnaeus, 1766) which occurs from September to March. The Tamar / ICMBio monitors 33 km of beaches in this area among which 9 km are located in the municipality of Tibau do Sul, classified as Area Comprehensive Study. This study aims to describe the phenomenon of insect fauna infestation in nests of E. imbricata in the study area of TAMAR / ICMBio, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Data were collected in the northern area, which corresponds to 5.9 km in length, during the 2010/2011 breeding season. After identilied the nests were opened for the egg count, was made to sift the material and the samples were counted, recorded and transferred to laboratory analysis. During the analysis, the adult insects were preserved in a solution of 70% ethanol for later identification. The larvae and pupae were placed in recipient with abundant food and ventilation to develop and reach maturity, making its identification possible. It was possible to investigate and collect material from 52 nests of E. imbn'cata during the breeding season of 2010/2011. There was an average of 59.30 and 60.15 days of incubation eggs of the species under study. The average number of eggs per nest was 119, 50 to the Cacimbinhas beach and 117.89 Madeiro beach, and the percentage of live offspring per nest equivalent to 61.09% and 68.62% respectively. A total of 24 nests (46,15%) showed signs of infestation. The most significant infesting groups were flies from the family Phoridae and ants (Order: Hymenoptera). The depth of the nests did not show any relation to the infestation while the distance of the vegetation appeared to be an important factor in the presence of insects in their nests. It is suggested to collect and analyze data in the next seasons, for a more accurate conclusion about the phenomenon of the infestation.