Temperatura de incubação e razão sexual em filhotes recém-eclodidos da tartaruga marinha Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) no município do Ipojuca, Pernambuco, Brasil

Abstract

The development of sex in sea turtles is determined by the temperature incubation of the eggs (TSD - Temperature dependent Sex Determination). For Eretmochelys imbricata species, very little is known about the sex ratio of spawning which occur in the southern coast of Pernambuco. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between sexual development and temperature incubation of nests of hawksbill turtles deposited in Merepe Beach County Ipojuca, Pernambuco. The temperature data were collected from nine nests during the months from January to June 2013, with the aid of registers type temperature data loggers (Onset Computer Model, UA‑001‑08). The average recorded for nests sampled depending on the incubation period and temperature were 54 days and 31.68°C. Based on these results, the nests showed a strong trend towards the development of females, with the sex ratio, estimated by histological analysis, 86.53% for females. So the beach Merepe has temperatures that provide greater differentiation of newborn females. However, more detailed studies should be carried out with the intention of verifying whether these results can be obtained for any ipojucano coast.