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Usually when we think of parasites, we think about parasites, we think of diseases, epidemics, sanitary problems and other negative thinks. Nerveless they don’t mention that they are part of healthy ecosystems and need to be there at a certain quantity; they literally serve as indicators of ecosystem's health.

There are 2 ways in which parasites can help measure ecosystem's health: 

My work at the BIOMOL has been focused on assessing and identifying parasitic populations on rays, sharks and fishes. We conduct field surveys and physical exams focused on collecting parasites; once these samples are collected they will undergo studies at the laboratory which consists of microscope identifying and genetic studies.

The projects focused on these studies at the BIOMOL have given the opportunity for international collaborations and speeches. We currently collaborate with the Marine parasitology and epidemiology laboratory of the University of Antofagasta in Chile and our projects have been presented at the World Veterinary Congress, Wildlife Disease Association Congress-Latin America and the 4th International Workshop on Symbiotic Copepoda in Russia, all during 2019.

Identifying parasitic relationships in rays

Did you know that there's not a category for 

 (Pacific Eagle Ray) in the IUCN Red List? It's because this specie still remain as 

 (DD, Data Deficient). This was its previous description, now they are separated as 

, the white spots on its dorsal side serves as a fingerprint for identification, but there is information on this pattern that remains unused. Due the lack of information on this specie and its patterns, in the Biomolecular Lab (BIOMOL) we are carrying out a taxonomic revision of the white spots pattern on the dorsal surface of the Pacific Eagle Ray and a comparison along its distribution.

img:Pacific Eagle Ray (Aetobatus laticepts), Cocos Island

Our research involves different investigation sites. Those are located in the northern of Costa Rica and Cocos Island, México, and Ecuador. We collected samples in the northern of Costa Rica and added individuals from Cocos Island thanks to a collaboration with Diego Mejías (Locomotion Producciones), and also in México with Aetos ID. Ecuador’s individual were added thanks to a local researcher, and more samples from northern Costa Rica with the NGO Equipo Tora Carey – ETC.

img:Pacific Eagle Ray (Aetobatus laticepts)

How do we counted the spots? Easy but with dedication, we used Adobe Photoshop and marked spot by spot with a pencil. With the Costa Rican samples we determined there are 17 different white spots. It should be noted that not all established spots will appear on all individuals, some will appear and be found repeatedly depending on each ray. As just Costa Rica and México have enough samples, we only compared the spot pattern of this sites. We used a t-test on PAST to see if there is a difference between both sides, and it shows there isn't. While for Cocos Island and Ecuador we expect to add more samples, there is a valuable information we found, and it’s the presence of 

This project is important to determine the spots pattern of this specie and how it’s along its distribution, whose current descriptions do not consider whether there is a distinction of patterns according to localities. In addition, with this information there can be a re-description of the distribution of 

 Also, the need to carry out investigations like this one, is that morphological differences can be found in the same species, proposing to carry out more investigations that help clarify these findings and collaborate in the conservation of the species.

Pacific Eagle Ray (Aetobatus laticepts)

My name is Jordi, I am an environmental biologist from Barcelona, Spain, and then I will tell you a little about the experience as an intern at BIOMOL Lab.

First of all, I’d like to explain why I chose this laboratory for an internship. My goal was to develop myself in the field of research within the group of sharks and rays, and after searching and contacting many entities and researchers, BIOMOL and its team gave me very good feelings and a great reception from the beginning. A perfect communication with an ocean in between, ended up triggering that by the end of October I was landing in Costa Rica ready to embark on an adventure of almost three months.

The first week in the laboratory was very intense, a lot of information about the projects they were carrying out and the activities they were doing with the students; I could not be more excited.

Since then I’ve been working, learning new things every day, developing new skills that I didn’t have the opportunity to work so hard during my degree. Both computer work with software, and laboratory work with super interesting genetic analysis. All aimed at one goal: to identify shark species; a dream come true. In the first photography you can see myself with a hammerhead shark (

), from whom we use a tissue sample to analyze their DNA.

In addition to gain new knowledge and experience after my internship, which I thought would be the case before this began, I was very lucky to work with an amazing team, both professionally and personally. The whole team welcomed me and we hit it off very well, not only were they lab buddies, in the end we were like a little family. The luck of being united by a common factor made it easier for us to help each other and, for example, the field trips were fantastic. They had everything: nature, science, responsibility and fun.

In conclusion, my stay at the BIOMOL Lab was a great experience that has helped me in my training as a biologist and a very well used opportunity to meet incredible people and a country with a spectacular nature.

 Jordi Abad holding a hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) juvenile in artisanal fishery.

Jordi Abad, intern at the BIOMOL lab

Costa Rica has a great diversity of species and marine ecosystems that protect and provide food to hundreds of organisms in various phases of their life cycle. For example, El Golfo de Papagayo and Golfo Dulce are just a few of the many hot spots that harbor this diversity of marine species and ecosystems, but these species have not been completely protected.

img:Rooster Fish (Nematistius pectoralis) capture, marking, processing and posterior release

Currently, our country lacks the basic information necessary to evaluate the population structure of bony fish species, which have been exposed to heavy fishing pressure that make a natural recovery of their populations impossible. This problem not only afflicts Costa Rica but also all of Latin America, since there is no scientific data that gives real support and defines the units of a given fishery. For this reason, it is critical to clarify the degree of genetic connectivity among fish populations throughout their geographical distribution in order to maintain the productivity of the populations and ensure the sustainability of fishery resources over time.

img:Sampling of red snapper in artisanal fisheries

Therefore, the present research proposal aims to study the genetic connectivity of several species of teleosts that play a critical role at the ecological and economic level (tourism, sports, and crafts), such as roosterfish (

). Through the use of nuclear molecular markers (microsatellites), it will be possible to define regulations and estimates of the maximum sustainable level at which a stock can be exploited.

The results of our research will allow us to generate the first biological-fishery information of these species along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and establish baseline information that could suggest possible fishery management strategies and measures.

Sail Fish (Istiophorus platypterus) capture, marking, processing and posterior release

is one of the nine species of hammerhead sharks, and lives around the world in the tropics. According to the IUCN, this species is categorized as Critically Endangered since its populations have declined due to fisheries both as bycatch and as directed fishing, since their fins are highly valued in the international fin market. This shark has an interesting behavior in which females come to coastal waters called nursery areas to deliver their pups. Juveniles remain in these areas for their first years so coastal marshes and wetlands are an important habitat for their nurturing. In Costa Rica these areas are threatened both by habitat degradation and by fisheries.

img:Taxidermy of hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) juveniles

img:DNA extraction of hammerhead shark tissue

After this first stage of life, adults move to open waters and islands, where constant migration is observed. Also in open waters and near the Cocos Island this shark is specifically targeted for its fins. Protecting this highly mobile animal that can migrate long distances is a hard task since its populations are not in a specific geographic place during all their lifetime. Also in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, population structure is not well known. Is it one population or are there several? Do females prefer specific nursing grounds to deliver their pups? Understanding population structure and movements of hammerhead sharks is vital to establish regional management and policies.

In the BIOMOL lab we are working in an investigation that aims to determine connectivity and genetic population structure of ​

 in various coastal nursing areas in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panamá. The results of this research will be important to provide biological information for management plans that will aim to protect specific important geographical areas for this species persistence.

img:Hammerhead shark with a school of fish

Taxidermy of juvenile hammerhead sharks from nursery areas in the northern pacific of Costa Rica

Taxidermy of hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) juveniles

Did you know which is the fastest fish in the ocean? The fastest fish of all is the sailfish, which can reach speeds of over 65 miles (102 km) an hour. The sailfish is part of a group of predatory fish called billfish, known for their prominent bills. The fishing federation of Costa Rica (FECOP) points out, that several of these rapid species of billfish are in danger of extinction thanks to commercial and artisanal overfishing. 

One of the main problems that are leading to the decline of populations of billfish in Costa Rica is the misidentification of products that are commercialized. Laws that protect the most endangered species of billfish have been stated, nevertheless they are not respected because it is difficult to identify between species that are legally protected and species that are not.  The BIOMOL laboratory is working on molecular tools that can identify between six different species of billfish in order for these laws to be more easily applied.

img:Agarose gel use for the identification of Striped Marlin (Kajikia audax):full

Another problem that affects not only billfish but fish in general is the lack of proper identification of fish in commercial facilities. An example of this is that Costa Rica it is common for local fish markets to sell shark meat as if it were fish. In the laboratory we have been testing these molecular tools in local markets of the metropolitan area and have found that two species of protected billfish are still commercialized commonly. Also, that many of the fish meat has been identified by the sellers as if it were another species.

What makes silky shark important to be studied?

What did the BIOMOL find with this study?

Silky Shark

manta ray

research

parasites

ecosystem health

rays

population genetics

fish biology

endangered sharks

shark nursery areas

endangered marine species

philopatry

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experience

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Parasites host interactions are one of the most interesting relations in biology and can be used as ecosystem health indicators. By studying parasitic load we can identify potential disorders in the food chain, decline of host species and excess of pollution.

Gianmarco Bettoni Rodriguez

Did you know that there's not a category for Aetobatus laticeps (Pacific Eagle Ray) in the IUCN Red List? It's because this specie still remain as A. narinari (DD, Data Deficient). This was its previous description, now they are separated as A. laticeps in the Pacific and A. narinari in the Atlantic.

Deciphering spot patterns in the Pacific Eagle Ray

Diego Fallas

Hello everybody, my name is Jordi, I am an environmental biologist from Barcelona, Spain, and I will tell you a little about the experience as an intern at BIOMOL Lab.

Story of an internship in the BIOMOL laboratory

​Currently, Costa Rica lacks the basic information necessary to evaluate the population structure of bony fish species, which have been exposed to heavy fishing pressure that makes a natural recovery of their populations impossible. For this reason, it is critical to clarify the degree of genetic connectivity among fish populations throughout their geographical distribution in order to maintain the productivity of the populations and ensure the sustainability of fishery resources over time.

Studying the genetic connectivity of commercial fish in Costa Rica

José Luis Molina

Sphyrna lewini​ is one of the nine species of hammerhead sharks, and lives around the world in the tropics. According to the IUCN, this species is categorized as Critically Endangered since its populations have declined due to fisheries. This shark has an interesting behavior in which females come to coastal waters called nursery areas to
deliver their pups.​ ​Juveniles remain in these areas for their first years so coastal marshes and wetlands are an important habitat for their nurturing and its essential to gain knowledge about these habitats.

Protecting a critically endangered hammerhead shark from their nurseries

Mariana Elizondo

Did you know which is the fastest fish in the ocean? The fastest fish of all is the sailfish, which can reach speeds of over 65 miles (102 km) an hour. The sailfish is part of a group of predatory fish called billfish, known for their prominent bills.

Roy's First Post

The BIOMOL laboratory studied nurseries of the Eastern Tropical Pacific and identified that there are 3 populations of silky shark, divided by their capture country: Ecuador, El Salvador and Mexico. We can also suggest that the Mexican silky shark migration includes Jalisco as a nursery area for this species.

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