Taxonomic composition and zoogeographic relations of demersal in the western coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico. The composition of demersal fish along the western coast of the State of Baja California Sur, México, including the limit of the northern distribution of the ichthyofauna of the eastern tropical Pacific, is presented. The survey was carried out on four oceanographic cruises between autumn 2004 and March 2006. Of 220 species in 132 genera and 73 families, 26.3% are species of wide distribution from San Diego County, USA to Panama and 21.7% are species restricted to the eastern tropical Pacific. Six species are new findings for the area or range expansions. The families with the most species are Paralichthyidae and Scorpaenidae, each with 16 species. The most frequent genus was Sebastes, with nine species. We present a table with common Spanish names, size range and status of each species inside the community.

. 2017. Length-weight relation for eleven demersal fish species in the artisanal shrimp fishery areas from the Bahia MagdalenaAlmejas lagoon system, Mexico. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat. 47 (3): 303-305.Abstract. The length-weight relations (L-W) for 11 demersal fish species from a lagoon system in south-western coast of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico were estimated. The following species were studied: Occidentarius platypogon (Günther, 1864) . These species were caught in the artisanal shrimp fishery areas from the Bahia MagdalenaAlmejas lagoon system; thus the specimens were obtained with the shrimp trawl net. A total of 3824 specimens were used to estimate parameters of the relations. The slope (b) fell within 2.7 to 3.4 and the growth pattern was isometric in most cases (10 species), whereas for one species the growth was allometric. The L-W relation parameters for Occidentarius platypogon and Eucinostomus peruvianus, are not available in FishBase.

The length-weight relationship parameters and seasonal reproductive cycle are recorded for six commercially important fish species caught in the coastal lagoon of Tres Palos. The length-weight information is new to the literature for three of these species (spot cichlid, spotted sleeper, Pacific fat sleeper) and is within the expected range for the other three (widehead sea catfish, three spot cichlid, white mullet). Differences between sexes are statistically significant for four species and deviations from isometric growth are indicated in three species. The reproductive period for the Pacific fat sleeper differed substantially from the period reported for this species in Ecuadorian waters.

Understanding the feeding habits of the Mexican barracuda, Sphyraena ensis Jordan and Gilbert, 1882, is important to elucidate relevant aspects of its trophic ecology (prey intake, diet breadth, trophic level, and energy flows), which in general provide valuable information on the dynamics of marine communities. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to assess the dietary habits of the Mexican barracuda, S. ensis, and to determine dietary variations by sex (males, females), size (small, medium, and large individuals), and season (rainy and dry). Monthly samples were obtained from February 2014 to January 2015 in the San Blas region, Nayarit, Mexico. A total of 308 specimens were captured. Individuals measured between 30.6 and 58.7 cm total length and weighed between 405 and 836 g. Of the analyzed stomachs, 264 (86%) contained food and 44 (14%) were empty. The diet of the Mexican barracuda comprised 13 prey items from 11 families, 12 genera, and 9 species. According to the index of relative importance, the most important prey were fishes, particularly Sardinops spp. (40.36%), Hemiramphus saltator (40.24%), Opisthopterus dovii (10.83%), Anchoa spp. (4.17%), and Mugil cephalus (3.05%). We conclude that the Mexican barracuda can be categorized as an opportunistic ichthyophagous predator in coastal epipelagic zones that feeds mainly on schooling fish species. The trophic spectrum did not vary significantly by sex or size, but the consumption of preferred prey varied significantly by season.

Background. The Cortez Province (CP) is located in the transitional warm-temperate/subtropical region that allows the ichthyological component inhabiting it to be a mixture of elements of different biogeographic affinities. Since the first systematic analysis of the fish fauna of the Gulf of California in the 1960's a major portion of the endemic species was recognized. Subsequently, a total of 31 new endemic species have been described in the CP. This study constitutes an amendment of the fish component of the CP, including the most relevant ecological attributes of the species, along with an updated taxonomic list. Materials and methods. A comprehensive literature review was made, considering current biological knowledge, and taxonomic status of the endemic species from the CP. Those fish species with restricted distribution ranges, falling within the limits of this province, were considered endemic. Additionally, and to recognize the dominant ecological attributes of the CP endemic species, the preferential habitat, bathymetric distribution, the reproduction strategy, and the maximum total length (TL) were recorded. Results. Seventy-nine endemic species were recognized and grouped in 13 orders, 29 families, and 59 genera. Gobiidae (12), Chaenopsidae (8), and Labrisomidae (7) are the families with the highest species richness, and Sebastes (6 species), the most diverse genus. Forty-five percent of the species are associated with coral and rocky reefs, with 35% distributed within the first 10 m depth layer. The dominant reproduction strategies are: oviparous with benthic eggs and pelagic larval phase (48.7%), and oviparous with pelagic eggs (25.6%). More than half of the species (52%) are shorter than 10 cm (total length). Conclusion. The list of endemic species presented in this study is not conclusive, still undescribed species have not been included, detected differences (morphologic and/or genetic) in several species with disjunct populations may increase the diversity of this province.