Health status of post-spawning Octopus maya (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) females from Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the health status of Octopus maya females on different days after spawning (days 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40). A total of 25 O. maya females were examined in terms of physiological (i.e., weight loss, hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indexes, and hemocyanin, protein, glucose, cholesterol, and acylglycerides concentrations in plasma) and immunological variables (i.e., total hemocyte count, hemagglutination, and phenoloxidase activity). We hypothesized that O. maya females should maintain their physiological integrity throughout the post-spawning period until the hatching of the offspring. Results showed that the physiological and immunological indicators measured in post-spawning females significantly changed with time. Loss of body weight over time and a decrease in the hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indexes were observed. Hemolymph components showed variations that reflect the consumption of reserves and coincide with an increased immune process of hemagglutination and phenoloxidase activity in hemocytes. Our results demonstrate that O. maya females are adapted to maintain an adequate state of health to care for their spawn despite the long period of starvation and contribute to the identification of the mechanisms involved in maintaining the integrity of these animals during one of the most critical phases of their life cycle.