Distribution of squid paralarvae and related oceanographic features in the eastern Campeche Bank, Mexico.

This article focuses on the composition, distribution, and environmental relationships of teuthid cephalopod (squid) paralarvae in the eastern Campeche Bank (CB) of the southern Gulf of Mexico. Sampling from 2016 to 2017 identified six taxa, with the oceanic Abralia redfieldi and the neritic Doryteuthis plei being the most abundant, showing spatiotemporal segregation linked to oceanographic conditions: oceanic species occurred offshore at depths ≥40 m during May–July (upwelling months), while neritic species were nearshore at depths ≤40 m during September–November. Generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) indicated that A. redfieldi abundance correlated positively with higher chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, and warmer Caribbean waters, whereas D. plei was associated with shallower Yucatan shelf waters and lower chlorophyll-a. These findings highlight the eastern CB's ecological importance as a habitat supporting early life stages of both oceanic and neritic squid species, influenced by seasonal upwelling dynamics.