1. Scutellastra mexicana is the largest species of giant limpet in the world. This species is distributed along the tropical Mexican Pacific and is now considered extinct in some areas of the region.
2. In prehispanic Mexico, this limpet was used for food, ornamentation, and in mortuary offerings. More recently, its meat has been highly valued for human consumption. During the 1970s and 1980s, overexploitation of this resource caused the population to decrease drastically.
3. This study is a report on the population status of the giant Mexican limpet S. mexicana on the Mexican Pacific coast. Free divers explored the rocky southern coast of Jalisco, Mexico, for the presence of specimens. A total of 404 limpets were identified at 18 sampling sites. Their density was estimated to be 0.0012 limpets/m² with a catch per unit effort of 7.6 limpets/dive hour. Limpet sizes ranged from 5.0 to 23.3 cm in length and from 3.8 to 20.7 cm in width, with a mean shell length of 13.4 cm.
4. Currently, S. mexicana is under special protection by Mexican laws. However, this species is not listed as endangered by any international wildlife protection and conservation group. This may be due to the lack of information on this species' population dynamics over time in the Mexican Pacific and the lack of interest in this mollusc since it is a non‐charismatic species.

中文翻译：

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墨西哥中部濒临灭绝的墨西哥巨贝Scutellastra mexicana的人口状况

1. Scutellastra mexicana是世界上最大的帽贝物种。该物种分布在热带的墨西哥太平洋沿岸，现在在该地区的某些地区被认为已灭绝。
2. 在西班牙裔前墨西哥，这种帽贝被用于食物，装饰品和葬品。最近，它的肉已被人类高度重视。在1970年代和1980年代，对这种资源的过度开发导致人口急剧减少。
3. 这项研究是关于墨西哥太平洋沿岸巨型墨西哥S. mexicana的种群状况的报告。自由潜水者探索了墨西哥哈利斯科州南部多岩石的海岸，发现了标本。在18个采样点总共发现了404个帽贝。它们的密度估计为0.0012羽贝/ m ²，每单位工作量的捕捞量为7.6羽贝/潜水小时。帽毛的大小范围为长度5.0到23.3厘米，宽度3.8到20.7厘米，平均壳长为13.4厘米。
4. 目前，墨西哥墨西哥链球菌受到墨西哥法律的特别保护。但是，任何国际野生动植物保护和保护组织都未将该物种列为濒危物种。这可能是由于缺乏关于该物种在墨西哥太平洋地区的种群动态的信息，以及对这种软体动物的兴趣，因为它是非魅力物种。