Abstract

The potential for Strombus gigas larval transportation and retention was study in the Los Roques Archipelago National Park. Sampling was conducted in august 1998 (22 to 28). Samples were conectedat 18 sites, to within the archipelagoand 8 outside of its platform (5 and 10 nm off, in the direction of each cardinal point). Duplicate and superficial plankton tows wereconected using a net with 202 ?m mesh. A total of 84 veligers were detected, in 11 of the evaluated stations. The highest concentrations were observed Within the archipelago (between 3.78 and 6.32 ind./100 m3), being an important representation of larvae in the oceanic stations located to the east and southwest of the archipelago. Few larvae were found to the north of the internal lagoon, nor to the south of the archipelago. A 47.6% of the observed individuals were in the size interval corresponding to recent batch larvae (between 150 and 450 µm), being most of these located in the internal stations. A 34.5% of the larvae, also within the archipelago, measured between 451 and 700µm, being considered to be 5 days old. The larger veligers, some of them near to recruitment, were observed in the oceanic stations. Obviously, an interesting pattern exists for the distribution and abundance of S. gigas in the archipelago, which should be directly related with the location were egg masses are being layed, and the patterns of currents and countercurrents that are responsibletodisperse or retain the larvae within the platform.

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