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Feeding ecology of the southern thorny skate, Amblyraja doellojuradoi on the Argentine Continental Shelf

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2013

G.E. Delpiani ,
M.C. Spath  and
D.E. Figueroa
G.E. Delpiani*
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Laboratorio de Ictiología, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYL), Argentina Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
M.C. Spath
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Laboratorio de Ictiología, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYL), Argentina Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
D.E. Figueroa
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Laboratorio de Ictiología, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYL), Argentina
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: G.E. Delpiani, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Laboratorio de Ictiología, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYL), Argentina email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The feeding ecology of the southern thorny skate, Amblyraja doellojuradoi, on the Argentine Continental Shelf was evaluated using generalized linear models. Amblyraja doellojuradoi preyed mainly on crabs (85.41% index of relative importance (IRI)) and to a lesser extent on polychaetes (4.98% IRI), teleosts (3.28% IRI), isopods (2.03% IRI), other crustaceans (1.52% IRI) and other invertebrates (2.78% IRI). As individuals increased in size, the consumption of crabs also increased and the consumption of polychaetes and other invertebrates decreased. The study area was divided into a northern (36°–43°S) and a southern (43°–50°S) region. Regarding the latitude of capture, it was observed that A. doellojuradoi mainly fed on crabs in the north and on fish, isopods and other crustaceans in the south. Females of A. doellojuradoi had a stronger preference for fish and isopods than males. As to sexual maturity, immatures fed more on polychaetes and other crustaceans than did mature. The ontogenetic change in feeding habits could be attributed to body size and an increasing ability to capture larger prey, rather than to food availability. However, this point cannot be confirmed because little is known about the benthic fauna of this area.

Keywords

Argentinadietfeeding habitssouthern thorny skate
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Issue 8 , December 2013 , pp. 2207 - 2216
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013 

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