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Food habits of South Pacific hake (Merluccius gayi) in Ecuadorian waters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2019

José Luis Varela Open the ORCID record for José Luis Varela [Opens in a new window]  and
Jonathan Eduardo Pincay-Espinoza
José Luis Varela*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEI·MAR), Av. República Saharaui s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
Jonathan Eduardo Pincay-Espinoza
Affiliation:
Subsecretaría de Recursos Pesqueros, Viceministerio de Acuacultura y Pesca, Puerto Pesquero Artesanal de San Mateo, Manta, Manabí, Ecuador Escuela de Acuicultura y Pesquería, Universidad Técnica de Manabí Extensión Bahía de Caráquez, Sucre, Manabí, Ecuador
*
Author for correspondence: José Luis Varela, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The food habits of the South Pacific hake (Merluccius gayi) from Ecuadorian waters were studied by analysing 232 stomachs of specimens ranging from 23.4–83.1 cm in total length (TL). Fish was the most important prey group (Alimentary Index, %AI = 94), Ctenosciaena peruviana being the most represented prey species (%AI = 62.17). PERMANOVA analysis showed dietary differences between the smallest individuals (class I < 30 cm TL) and the largest (class IV 40–45 cm TL; class V ≥ 45 cm TL). In addition, spatial differences in dietary composition were found between the three sampled regions (Manabí, Santa Elena and Guayas). The results of this study indicate that the South Pacific hake is an opportunistic predator feeding on a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms.

Keywords

Feeding patternsfood itemsMerlucciidaestomach content analysis
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 99 , Issue 8 , December 2019 , pp. 1851 - 1856
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2019 

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