Feeding Habits of the Lizards Sauromalus varius and S. hispidus in the Gulf of California

The trophic ecology of the chihuil sea catfish Bagre panamensis was studied through high-resolution variations in its feeding habits and trophic position (TP) in the SE Gulf of California, relevant to sex, size and season. The combined use of stomach content (SCA) and stable isotope analysis (SIA) allowed us to perform these analyses and also estimate the TP of its preys. Results of this study show that the chihuil sea catfish is a generalist and opportunistic omnivore predator that consumes primarily demersal fish and peneid shrimps. Its diet did not vary with climatic season (rainy or dry), size or sex. Results from the SIA indicated high plasticity in habitat use and prey species. The estimated TP value was 4.19, which indicates a tertiary consumer from the soft bottom demersal community in the SE Gulf of California, preying on lower trophic levels, which aids in understanding the species' trophic role in the food web. Because this species and its prey are important to artisanal and industrial fisheries in the Gulf of California, diet assimilation information is useful for the potential establishment of an ecosystem-based fisheries management in the area.

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Feeding habits of the speckled guitarfish Rhinobatos glaucostigma (Elasmobranchii, Batoidea) in the southeastern Gulf of California

Ciencias Marinas ◽

10.7773/cm.v39i3.2229 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 277-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

K De la Rosa-Meza

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of California ◽

Feeding Habits

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Organic and total mercury in muscle tissue of five aquatic birds with different feeding habits from the SE Gulf of California, Mexico

Chemosphere ◽

10.1016/j.chemosphere.2009.03.042 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. 415-418 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

J. Ruelas-Inzunza ◽

J. Hernández-Osuna ◽

F. Páez-Osuna

Keyword(s):

Muscle Tissue ◽

Gulf Of California ◽

Total Mercury ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Aquatic Birds

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Feeding habits of the spotted rose snapper, Lutjanus guttatus, (Actinopterygii, Perciformes, Lutjanidae), in the central Gulf of California, BCS, Mexico

Acta Ichthyologica Et Piscatoria ◽

10.3897/aiep.51.63227 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 95-105

Author(s):

Filius L. Valle-Lopez ◽

Xchel G. Moreno-Sánchez ◽

Marina S. Irigoyen-Arredondo ◽

Leonardo A. Abitia-Cárdenas ◽

Emigdio Marín-Enríquez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of California ◽

Trophic Ecology ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Feeding Strategy ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Trophic Plasticity ◽

Important Prey ◽

Management Measures ◽

Reported Study ◽

Santa Rosalia

The spotted rose snapper, Lutjanus guttatus (Steindachner, 1869), is an important resource for the coastal fisheries of the Gulf of California, mainly due to its high commercial value. Despite this, there are no management measures for this species, owing in part to a lack of information on its basic biology and its trophic ecology in the area. In this context, the presently reported study had as objective to describe the feeding habits of L. guttatus through stomach content analyses, as well as to describe possible changes linked to sex, size, and season. Specimens were caught monthly from June 2016 to September 2017 with gillnets in Santa Rosalía, BCS, Mexico. The abundance, weight, and frequency of occurrence of each prey were assessed, and these parameters were integrated into the index of relative importance (%IRI) to determine the importance of each prey item in the L. guttatus diet. The Levin’s index was used to assess the trophic niche width of the species, the feeding strategy was evaluated using Costello’s graphic method and the trophic level was calculated. Finally, to establish whether there were significant differences in the diet by sex, size, or season a PERMANOVA test was used with a 95% confidence level. A total of 202 L. guttatus stomachs were analyzed, 191 of which contained food. A total of 26 prey items were identified. According to the %IRI, the most important prey were the teleost fishes Harengula thrissina (Jordan et Gilbert, 1882) (45.7%) and Sardinops sagax (Jenyns, 1842) (34.8%), the euphausiid Nyctiphanes simplex (13.4%), and the crustacean Penaeus spp. (5.6%). The PERMANOVA analysis resulted in significant differences between the analyzed categories; however, there were no significant differences in the interactions among the categories. According to Levin’s index, L. guttatus had a narrow trophic width, with changes in the main prey consumed by the different categories. According to our results, L. guttatus can be considered a benthopelagic opportunistic carnivorous predator with a narrow trophic niche, presenting mostly quantitative variations in its diet according to sex, size, and season. Its trophic plasticity allows it to take advantage of the most available and abundant food resources.

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Feeding habits of the toothed flounder Cyclopsetta querna (Paralichthyidae) of the south-east Gulf of California

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315410000603 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 91 (6) ◽

pp. 1225-1230 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Felipe Amezcua ◽

Alfonso Portillo ◽

Felipe Amezcua-Linares

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of California ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Niche Breadth ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Demersal Fish ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

The South ◽

Top Predators

Feeding habits of the toothed flounder Cyclopsetta querna caught in the south-east Gulf of California were studied. Specimens were collected via demersal fish surveys. Results of this study show that C. querna is a predator that focuses on fish inhabiting the bottom and in particular on tonguefish (Symphurus sp.), midshipman fish (Porichthys sp.) and moray eels (Muraenidae). The diet of the toothed flounder did not vary significantly throughout the period of study, and neither size nor sex-related variations in diet composition were observed. Simpson's index indicates a limited trophic niche breadth with a diet dominated by a limited number of taxa. The estimated TROPH value for C. querna is similar to that estimated for other demersal top predators from the studied area; therefore, the toothed flounder can be considered a top carnivore from the demersal community in the Gulf of California.

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Dieta del pez chile lucio Synodus scituliceps (Aulopiformes: Synodontidae) en la Costa Este del Golfo de California, México

Revista de biología marina y oceanografía ◽

10.22370/rbmo.2019.54.3.2025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 319

Author(s):

Jesús Rodríguez-Romero ◽

Juana López-Martínez ◽

Ma. Ruth Ochoa Díaz ◽

Eloísa Herrera-Valdivia

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of California ◽

Prey Species ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Eastern Coast ◽

Paralichthys Californicus ◽

Important Prey ◽

Content Analyses ◽

Benthic Fishes ◽

Soft Bottoms ◽

By Catch

This study provides information on feeding habits of the lizardfish Synodus scituliceps, one of the most abundant and frequent species in shrimp by-catch in the demersal area in the eastern coast of the Gulf of California, Mexico. Stomach content analyses were performed on 114 organisms caught from August 2004 to March 2005, and Levin's index was applied. The most important prey species were benthic fishes: Eucinostomus currani, Opisthonema libertate, Synodus lucioceps and Paralichthys californicus. According to the Levin’s index (Bi = 0.39), S. scituliceps is a piscivorous specialist predator in soft bottoms, with similar diet in juveniles and adults.

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Feeding habits ofEucinostomus entomelasandMicropogonias megalopsin Las Guasimas lagoon Gulf of California

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315414000198 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 94 (8) ◽

pp. 1721-1729

Author(s):

Dana I. Arizmendi-Rodríguez ◽

J. López-Martínez ◽

E. Herrera-Valdivia

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Gulf Of California ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Diet Breadth ◽

Dark Spot ◽

Relative Importance ◽

Index Of Relative Importance ◽

Trophic Overlap ◽

Taxonomic Groups ◽

Prey Items

The trophic spectrum of bothEucinostomus entomelasandMicropogonias megalops, the two most abundant fish species in Laguna Las Guásimas, Sonora, México is described in our study. A total of 21 types of prey were identified belonging to seven taxonomic groups (Crustacea, Mollusca, Annelida, Rhodophyta, Copepoda, Echinodermata and Chordata) to analyse the feeding spectra and diet breadth. The preferred prey items ofEucinostomus entomelas(Dark-spot mojarra) were Polichaeta (index of relative importance = 46.7%), followed by bivalves(36.6%), andLuidia columbia (5.6%), while those ofMicropogonias megalops(Bigeye croaker) were Portunidae (22.8%) followed by Gammaridae (20.55%) and Crustacea (18.37%). The trophic spectrum for maleE. entomelawas composed of Bivalvia and Polychaeta. Both predators showed low values in diet breadth (E. entomelas(Levin's indexBi = 0.14) andM. megalops(Levins's indexBi = 0.43)). The low trophic overlap (Cλ = 0.14) between predators suggests that both fish are not competing with each other for food resources in Laguna Las Guásimas.

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Feeding habits and trophic level of the shovelnose guitarfish (Pseudobatos productus) in the upper Gulf of California

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315417000832 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 98 (7) ◽

pp. 1783-1792 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Fausto Valenzuela-Quiñonez ◽

Felipe Galván-Magaña ◽

David A. Ebert ◽

E. Alberto Aragón-Noriega

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stomach Content ◽

Gulf Of California ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Trophic Relationships ◽

Generalist Predators ◽

Class Iii ◽

Ontogenetic Changes ◽

Diet Shifts

The shovelnose guitarfish (Pseudobatos productus) is the most abundant and economically important batoid in Gulf of California fisheries. Despite the importance of the guitarfish in the demersal ecosystem, its trophic relationships are poorly understood. Results from stomach content and stable isotope analysis indicate P. productus is a specialist predator that feeds on coastal benthic organisms, mainly crustaceans, followed by fishes and cephalopods in the Upper Gulf of California. Males and females did not differ in dietary composition and isotopic values. Pseudobatos productus displayed ontogenetic changes in the diet, with smaller, immature individuals having a more specialized diet and mature individuals becoming generalist predators. Size classes I (<570 mm) and II (>570 mm) fed almost exclusively on crustaceans (99.78% and 82.37 %IRI, respectively). Size class III (>832 mm) increased consumption of fishes (22.11 %IRI) and squid (6.54 %IRI). Ontogenetic diet shifts were strongly supported by the SIAR mixing model. Stomach content and stable isotope analyses classify P. productus as a second-order predator.

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