Population status of the endangered giant Mexican limpet Scutellastra mexicana in the central Mexican Pacific

Abstract

Abstract Scutellastra mexicana is the largest species of giant limpet in the world. This species is distributed along the tropical Mexican Pacific and is now considered extinct in some areas of the region. In prehispanic Mexico, this limpet was used for food, ornamentation, and in mortuary offerings. More recently, its meat has been highly valued for human consumption. During the 1970s and 1980s, overexploitation of this resource caused the population to decrease drastically. This study is a report on the population status of the giant Mexican limpet S. mexicana on the Mexican Pacific coast. Free divers explored the rocky southern coast of Jalisco, Mexico, for the presence of specimens. A total of 404 limpets were identified at 18 sampling sites. Their density was estimated to be 0.0012 limpets/m2 with a catch per unit effort of 7.6 limpets/dive hour. Limpet sizes ranged from 5.0 to 23.3 cm in length and from 3.8 to 20.7 cm in width, with a mean shell length of 13.4 cm. Currently, S. mexicana is under special protection by Mexican laws. However, this species is not listed as endangered by any international wildlife protection and conservation group. This may be due to the lack of information on this species' population dynamics over time in the Mexican Pacific and the lack of interest in this mollusc since it is a non‐charismatic species.