Feeding habits of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) off the coast of Brazil

Stomachs from 222 blue sharks collected along the Brazilian coast were analyzed - 116 from the northeastern region and 106 from the southern region. A total of 51 prey taxa were identified. The most important prey items in the southern region were Mysticeti whales, teleosteans, the gempylid Ruvettus pretiosus and the nomeid Arioma bondi. Cephalopods were more diverse, with dominance of vertical migrants Histioteuthis spp., Cranchiidae and the epipelagic octopus Ocythoe tuberculata. In the northeastern region, blue sharks consumed mainly teleosteans, including the alepisaurid Alepisaurus ferox and the gempylid Gempylus serpens. Among cephalopods, Histioteuthis spp. and the epipelagic octopus Tremoctopus violaceus were the dominant items. Predation upon schooling prey was occasional, as observed on Arioma bondi. Birds also were consumed in both regions; Puffinus gravis was the fifth most frequent item in the northeastern region. During the reproductive migration cycle, blue sharks likely prey in the thermocline, which is deeper in the northeastern region and closer to the surface in the southern region.

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Trophic ecology of large pelagic fish in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Brazil

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf18352 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 (10) ◽

pp. 1402 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

F. V. Albuquerque ◽

A. F. Navia ◽

T. Vaske ◽

O. Crespo ◽

F. H. V. Hazin

Keyword(s):

Trophic Ecology ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Saint Paul ◽

Pelagic Fish ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Trophic Relationships ◽

Main Prey ◽

Important Prey ◽

Saint Peter ◽

Prey Items

Trophic relationships of large pelagic predators can determine the structure and dynamics of oceanic food webs. The feeding habits and trophic ecology of five large pelagic fish (Acanthocybium solandri, Coryphaena hippurus, Elagatis bipinnulata, Thunnus albacares and Thunnus atlanticus) in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago were evaluated to determine whether there is a trophic-niche overlap or resource partitioning among them. Eighty prey items found in 1528 stomachs were identified and grouped into Cephalopoda, Cnidaria, Crustacea, Gastropoda, Teleostei and Tunicata. Exocoetidae and Scombridae were the main prey in the diet of Acanthocybium solandri. In C. hippurus, Cheilopogon cyanopterus and Exocoetus volitans were the most important prey items, whereas C. cyanopterus was the main prey for T. albacares. Thunnus atlanticus consumed a great proportion of invertebrate species, with shrimps of Sergestidae family being particularly important. The gastropod Cavolinia sp. was the most important prey for E. bipinnulata. The five species had a high trophic specialisation and a high trophic level (>4.4), whereas most dietary overlaps were consistently low. The most important factor for diet dissimilarity was the consumption of Exocoetidade. All species were classified as top predators with varied diets, indicating their structural and functional importance in the food web of the Archipelago.

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Feeding habits of the sandskate Psammobatis extenta (Garman, 1913): sources of variation in dietary composition

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf04205 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 56 (4) ◽

pp. 395 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

J. Matías Braccini ◽

Jorge E. Perez

Keyword(s):

Feeding Habits ◽

Seasonal Pattern ◽

Seasonal Patterns ◽

Dietary Composition ◽

Important Prey ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

Prey Diversity ◽

Sources Of Variation ◽

Males And Females ◽

Prey Items

Understanding the variation in the diet of skates is crucial for determining their roles in marine ecosystems. The diet of 458 sandskates, Psammobatis extenta, from Puerto Quequén, Argentina was quantified to determine whether there was geographical, sexual, ontogenetic, and/or seasonal variation in dietary composition. Cumulative prey-diversity curves reached a stable level at ~30 stomachs and thus the sample size was large enough to describe the overall diet of the sandskate. The diet comprised a variety of small invertebrates, suggesting that the sandskate is a secondary consumer (trophic level of 3.5). The most important prey items were gammarids, shrimps and, to a lesser extent, polychaete worms. A significant correlation was found between the diets of sandskates from south-eastern Brazil and Puerto Quequén, suggesting that in both locations they used similar resources and would have similar ecological roles. No difference was found between the diets of males and females, but ontogenetic and seasonal patterns were detected. Small sandskates preyed largely on gammarids and shrimps but consumed fewer polychaetes and brachyurans than larger individuals. In summer and winter, the most important prey item by number was gammarids, whereas the consumption of shrimps peaked in autumn. This ontogenetic and seasonal pattern indicates that large and small sandskates are versatile predators that can shift their diets in response to prey abundance.

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Food and feeding habits of the blue shark Prionace glauca caught off Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, with a review on its feeding

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315409991597 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 90 (5) ◽

pp. 977-994 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Unai Markaida ◽

Oscar Sosa-Nishizaki

Keyword(s):

Baja California ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Seasonal Pattern ◽

Stomach Contents ◽

First Record ◽

Blue Shark ◽

Prionace Glauca ◽

Giant Squid ◽

Food And Feeding ◽

Vampyroteuthis Infernalis

Stomach contents of 893 blue shark (Prionace glauca) caught off Ensenada, Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, from 1995 to 1997 were analysed. 614 had identifiable food remains. A large variety of pelagic cephalopods occurred in 55.5% of all stomachs and accounted for 46.2% of all prey and 84% by estimated weight of stomach contents. The most abundant (17%) and frequent (32%) was Histioteuthis heteropsis and the most important by estimated weight (22%) was ‘Gonatus californiensis’. Argonauta spp. and Vampyroteuthis infernalis were also abundant prey. A pair of beaks of giant squid Architeuthis sp. constitutes the first record for Mexican waters. Feeding habits and the probability of scavenging on mesopelagic cephalopods is discussed. The single most abundant prey was the pelagic, red crab Pleuroncodes planipes (41.7%). Other prey included teleost fish, amniotes and floating items. Diet varied greatly between months with no clear seasonal pattern. Tiny diet differences due to shark size or sex were inconclusive. A thorough review of studies on blue sharks stomach contents analysis is given. Blue shark feed on a large variety of passive pelagic prey, mainly mesopelagic cephalopods, that could be preyed upon as well as scavenged. Depletion of this predator due to overfishing may be leading to unknown cascading top-down effects in the mesopelagic realm.

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Feeding ecology, growth and sexual cycle of the sand sole, Solea lascaris, along the Portuguese coast

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315409002562 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 89 (3) ◽

pp. 621-627 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Célia M. Teixeira ◽

Ana Pinheiro ◽

Henrique N. Cabral

Keyword(s):

Feeding Habits ◽

Gonadosomatic Index ◽

Age And Growth ◽

Sexual Cycle ◽

Growth Equation ◽

Von Bertalanffy ◽

Portuguese Coast ◽

Important Prey ◽

Von Bertalanffy Growth Equation ◽

Prey Items

Sand sole, Solea lascaris, were collected along the Portuguese coast, between October 2002 and July 2003, to examine feeding habits, age and growth and sexual cycle. The most important prey items were Mysidacea, Amphipoda and Polychaeta. Differences in diet according to season and length size were found: Amphipoda were very important in diet during winter, while Echinodermata were consumed mostly in summer; smaller individuals feed on Amphipoda while larger feed on Decapoda. Age of S. lascaris was determined from sagittae otoliths. The length of fish analysed ranged from 61 mm to 340 mm. The von Bertalanffy growth equation parameters differed significantly between sexes (L∞ = 342.3 mm, k = 0.50, t0 = −0.87 and L∞ = 264.5 mm, k = 0.82, t0 = 0.13, females and males, respectively). The highest values of the gonadosomatic index were obtained in winter and spring, when the highest proportion of individuals at spawning stage was recorded.

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Polychlorinated biphenyls and DDT in swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and blue shark (Prionace glauca) from Brazilian coast

Chemosphere ◽

10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.05.089 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 67 (9) ◽

pp. S48-S53 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Claudio Eduardo de Azevedo e Silva ◽

Antonio Azeredo ◽

José Lailson-Brito ◽

João Paulo Machado Torres ◽

Olaf Malm

Keyword(s):

Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽

Brazilian Coast ◽

Blue Shark ◽

Prionace Glauca ◽

Xiphias Gladius

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Feeding habits of oriental sole (Brachirus orientalis) on the Bushehr coast of the Persian Gulf

Fisheries & Aquatic Life ◽

10.2478/aopf-2020-0021 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 175-185

Author(s):

Dima Alghada ◽

Yazdan Keivany ◽

Fatemeh Paykan-Heyrati

Keyword(s):

Coastal Waters ◽

Persian Gulf ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Prey Species ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Male And Female ◽

Important Prey ◽

Males And Females ◽

The Persian Gulf ◽

Prey Items

AbstractThe feeding habits of oriental sole, Brachirus orientalis (Bloch & Schneider) were investigated using 300 male and female specimens collected from coastal waters of Bushehr Province (Persian Gulf) between June 2015 and July 2016. The total length of females and males ranged from 16.2 to 38.5 cm and 14.1 to 29.1 cm, respectively. Of the total number of stomachs examined, 225 were empty (vacuity index = 77%). This index varied significantly over the year (P < 0.05), with maximum values in April and September and minimum in October and May. The B. orientalis diet was composed of nine prey species belonging to five classes. The most important prey items were Crustacea and Mollusca (Bivalvia and Gastropoda). Diet composition showed little seasonal variation, and Crustacea, Bivalvia, and Gastropoda were the most important prey items in all seasons. Sex did not appear to have any significant effects on dietary composition, and the main prey items were consumed by both males and females (P > 0.05).

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