Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T17:56:59.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Temporal and ontogenic variations of diet of the goldblotch grouper Epinephelus costae (Serranidae) in the eastern coast of Algeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2016

Raouf Zaidi ,
Farid Derbal  and
M. Hichem Kara
Raouf Zaidi
Affiliation:
Marine Bioresources Laboratory, Annaba University – Algeria, BP 230 Oued Kouba, Annaba, Algeria
Farid Derbal
Affiliation:
Marine Bioresources Laboratory, Annaba University – Algeria, BP 230 Oued Kouba, Annaba, Algeria
M. Hichem Kara*
Affiliation:
Marine Bioresources Laboratory, Annaba University – Algeria, BP 230 Oued Kouba, Annaba, Algeria
*
Correspondence should be addressed to:M. H. Kara, Marine Bioresources Laboratory, Annaba University – Algeria, BP 230 Oued Kouba, Annaba, Algeria email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The diet of the goldblotch grouper Epinephelus costae of the eastern coast of Algeria was studied from March 2011 to February 2012. A total of 275 individuals, whose total length varied between 21.1 and 79.79 cm and weight between 103.13 and 5390.00 g, were examined. The index of relative importance (%IRI) combining the three main descriptors of the presence of different ingested prey (%F, %N, %W) was used to characterize the relative importance of different food taxa. Qualitative and quantitative variations in diet were studied according to sexual maturity (immature and mature), sex (male and female), size (small, medium and large) and seasons. The average annual digestive vacuity is 17.82%. It does not vary according to sex, size or maturity, but is different between summer and winter. Qualitative analysis of digestive contents reveals a fairly diverse range of predation with 319 prey counted for a total weight of 934.85 g, which corresponds to an average number (Nm) and weight (Wm) of 1.4 and 4.14 g respectively. This species feeds on benthopelagic prey composed mainly of bony fish (%IRI = 76.16), pancrustacea (%IRI = 16.14) and molluscs (%IRI = 6.24). All other prey were accessory (plants) or accidental (annelids). Significant differences in feeding habits occur according to seasons and fish size.

Keywords

Feeding ecologyEpinephelus costaeNorth AfricaMediterranean
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 97 , Issue 2 , March 2017 , pp. 259 - 267
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abdul Malak, D., Livingstone, S.R., Pollard, D., Polidoro, B.A., Cuttelod, A., Bariche, M., Bilecenoglu, M., Carpenter, K.E., Collette, B.B., Francour, P., Goren, M., Kara, M.H., Massuti, E., Papaconstantinou, C. and Tunesi, L. (2011) Overview of the conservation status of the marine fishes of the Mediterranean Sea. Gland: IUCN.Google Scholar
Abel, E.F. (1962) Freiwasserbeobachtungen and Fischen im Golf von Neapel als Beitrage zur Kenntnis ither Ökologie und ihresVerhaltens. Internationale Revue der gesamten. Hydrobiolie German 47, 219–290.Google Scholar
Annalie, V., Roberts, C.M. and Hawkins, J.P. (2000) The threatened status of groupers (Epinephelinae). Biodiversity and Conservation 9, 919–942.Google Scholar
Barnabé, G. (1999) L’élevage de masse des mérous dans le monde. Marine Life 9, 3–7.Google Scholar
Barreiros, J.P. and Santos, R.S. (1998) Notes on the food habits and predatory behaviour of the dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) (Pisces: Serranidae) in the Azores. Arquipélago, Life and Marine Sciences 16A, 29–35.Google Scholar
Bouaïn, A. (1986) Croissance linéaire des mérous du golfe de Gabès (Tunisie). Cybium 10, 299–302.Google Scholar
Bauchot, M.L. (1987) Poissons osseux. In Fischer, W., Bauchot, M.-L. and Schneider, M. (eds) Fiches FAO d'Identification pour les Besoins de la Pêche (Rev. 1). Méditerranée et mer Noire. Zone de pêche 37. Volume 2. Rome: CCE & FAO, pp. 891–1421.Google Scholar
Bouaïn, A. and Siau, Y. (1983) Observations on the female reproductive cycle and fecundity of three species of groupers (Epinephelus) from the southeast Tunisian sea shores. Marine Biology 73, 211–220.Google Scholar
Brulé, T. and Rodriguez-Canche, L.G. (1993) Food habits of juvenile red groupers, Epinephelus morio (Valenciennes, 1828), from Campeche Bank, Yucatan, Mexico. Bulletin of Marine Science 52, 772–779.Google Scholar
Chakroun, N. and Ktari, M.H. (1981) Régime alimentaire des Sciaenidae (poissons téléostéens) du golfe de Tunis. Bulletin de l'Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer- Salammbô 8, 69–80.Google Scholar
Chauvet, C. (1991) Statut d’Epinephelus guaza (Linnaeus, 1758) et éléments de dynamique des populations méditerranéenne et atlantique. In Boudouresque, C.F., Avon, M. and Gravez, V. (eds) Les espèces marines à protéger en Méditerranée. Volume 1. Marseille: GIS Posidonie publ., pp. 255–275.Google Scholar
Condini, M.V., Elisa Seyboth, E., Vieira, J.P. and Garcia, A.M. (2011) Diet and feeding strategy of the dusky grouper Mycteroperca marginata (Actinopterygii: Epinephelidae) in a man-made rocky habitat in southern Brazil. Neotropical Ichthyology 9, 161–168.Google Scholar
Craig, M.T., Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y.J., and Heemstra, P.C. (2011) Groupers of the world: a field and market guide. Grahamstown: NISC (Pty) Ltd.Google Scholar
Dagnelie, P. (1975) Théorie et méthodes statistiques. Vol. 2: Les méthodes de l'inférence statistique. Gembloux: Duculot ed., 451 pp.Google Scholar
Dah, A., Girardin, M. and Vall, M. (1991) Les poissons de la communauté à Sciaenidés. Bulletin du Centre National de la Recherche Océanographique et des Pêches 23, 82–92.Google Scholar
Derbal, F. and Kara, M.H. (1995) Habitat et comportement du mérou Epinephelus marginatus dans la région d'Annaba (Algérie). Cahiers de Biologie Marine 36, 29–32.Google Scholar
Derbal, F. and Kara, M.H. (1996) Alimentation estivale du mérou, Epinephelus marginatus (Serranidae), des côtes est algériennes. Cybium 3, 295–301.Google Scholar
Derbal, F. and Kara, M.H. (2004) Régime alimentaire de la badèche Epinephelus costae des côtes de l'Est algérien. Rapport de la Commission Internationale pour l'Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Méditerranée. Volume 37. Monaco: CIESM, 411 pp.Google Scholar
Derbal, F. and Kara, M. H. (2007) Composition et variations du régime alimentaire du corb Sciaena umbra des côtes de l'Est algérien. Cybium 31, 199–207.Google Scholar
Derbal, F. and Kara, M.H. (2010) Composition et variations du peuplement ichtyologique de l'herbier superficiel à Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, dans la baie d'Annaba (Algérie). Revue d'Ecologie. (Terre Vie) 65, 1–11.Google Scholar
Derbal, F., Francour, P., Thibault, T. and Kara, M.H. (2013) Ecologie des sars Diplodus cervinus cervinus (Lowe, 1838) et Diplodus puntazzo (Cetti, 1777), de la badèche Epinephelus costae (Steindachner, 1878) et du corb Sciaena umbra (Linnaeus, 1758) dans le golfe d'Annaba (Est, Algérie). Nature et Technologie 8, 2–11.Google Scholar
Derbal, F., Kara, M.H. and Faure, E. (2007) Exposé synoptique des données écobiologiques sur le mérou brun Epinephelus marginatus (Serranidae) des côtes de l'Est Algérien. Sciences et Technologie C 26, 17–25.Google Scholar
Diatta, Y., Bouain, A., Clotilde-Ba, F.L. and Capape, C. (2003) Diet of four serranid species from the Senegalese coast (eastern tropical Atlantic). Acta Adriatica 44, 175–182.Google Scholar
Ezzat, A.A., Mikhail, M.Y., Wadie, W.F. and Hashem, M.T. (1982) Length-weight relationship and condition factor of Epinephelus aeneus and Epinephelus alexandrinus in the Egyptian Mediterranean waters. Bulletin of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Cairo 8, 173–186.Google Scholar
Fritz, E.S. (1974) Total diet comparison fishes by Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Copeia 1, 210–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garcia, V. (1996) Estudio de la biología y possibilidades de cultivo de diversas espécies del genero Epinephelus . Ph.D. Thesis. Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona. 297 pp.Google Scholar
Gibran, F.Z. (2007) Activity, habitat use, feeding behavior, and diet of four sympatric species of Serranidae (Actinopterygii: Perciformes) in southeastern Brazil. Neotropical Ichthyology 5, 1679–6225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glamuzina, B., Glavic, N., Skaramuca, B. and Kozul, V. (1998a) Induced sex reversal of dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe). Aquaculture Research 29, 563–567.Google Scholar
Glamuzina, B., Skaramuca, B., Glavic, N. and Kozul, V. (1998b) Preliminary studies on reproduction and early life stages in rearing trials with dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834). Aquaculture Research 29, 769–771.Google Scholar
Glamuzina, B., Skaramuca, B., Glavic, N., Kozul, V., Dulcic, J. and Kraljevic, M. (1998c) Egg and early larval development of laboratory reared dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) (Pisces, Serranidae). Sciencia Marina 62, 373–378.Google Scholar
Gracia López, V. and Castelló-Orvay, F. (2005) Food habits of groupers Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) and Epinephelus costae (Steindachner, 1878) in the Mediterranean Coast of Spain. Hidrobiológica 15, 27–34.Google Scholar
Hacunda, J.S. (1981) Trophic relationships among demersal fishes in a coastal area of the gulf of Main. Fishery Bulletin 79, 775–788.Google Scholar
Hannachi, M.S., Derbal, F., Boubekeur, M.S. and Kara, M.H. (2014) Composition et variations nycthémérales des peuplements ichtyologiques des petits fonds mixtes du golfe d'Annaba, Algérie. Cybium 38, 243–253.Google Scholar
Harmelin, J. (2013) Le mérou brun et le corb: deux grands témoins de 50 ans de protection du milieu marin dans le Parc national de Port-Cros (France, Méditerranée). Scientific Reports of Port-Cros national Park 27, 263–277.Google Scholar
Hassin, S., De Monbrison, D., Hanin, Y., Elizur, A., Zohar, Y. and Popper, D.M. (1997) Domestication of the white grouper Epinephelus aeneus. 1. Growth and reproduction. Aquaculture 156, 305–316.Google Scholar
Hastings, P.A. (1981) Gonad morphology and sex succession in the protogynous hermaphrodite Hemanthias vivanus (Jordan & Swain). Journal of Fish Biology 18, 443–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heemstra, P.C. and Randall, J.E. (1993) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 16. Groupers of the world (family Serranidae, subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date. Rome: FAO. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125(16), 382 pp.Google Scholar
Kara, M.H. and Derbal, F. (1996) Régime alimentaire du loup Dicentrarchus labrax dans le Golfe d'Annaba (Algérie). Annales de l'Institut Océanographique, Paris 72, 185–194.Google Scholar
Kara, M.H. and Derbal, F. (1999) Données biologiques sur le mérou Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) des côtes algériennes. Marine Life 9, 21–27.Google Scholar
Kyrtatos, N.A. (1982) Investigation on fishing and biology of the most important fishes of the region around the Aegean Sea. Island of Tinos. Thalasso graphica (special publ) 5, 88 pp.Google Scholar
Kouassi, K.D., N'da, K. and Diaha, N.C. (2010) Régime alimentaire du mérou blanc Epinephelus aeneus (Serranidae), de la pêche artisanale en Côte d'Ivoire. Cybium 34, 263–268.Google Scholar
Ktari, M.H., Bouain, A. and Quignard, J.P. (1978) Régime alimentaire des loups (poissons, téléostéens, Serranidae) Dicentrarchus labrax (Linné, 1758) et Dicentrarchus punctatus (Bloch, 1892) des côtes tunisiennes. Bulletin de l'Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Salammbô 5, 5–15.Google Scholar
Linde, M.M., Grau, A., Riera, F. and Massuti-Pascual, E. (2004) Analysis of trophic ontogeny in Epinephelus marginatus (Serranidae). Cybium 28, 27–35.Google Scholar
Louisy, P., Ganteaume, A. and Francour, P. (2007) Les relations des espèces de mérous à leur habitat: Epinephelus marginatus, E. costae et Mycteroperca rubra, dans la région de Kas, Turquie, Méditerranée orientale. In 2nd Symposium on Mediterranean Groupers. Nice, France, 10–13 May, pp. 121–123.Google Scholar
Machado, L.F., Daros, F.A.M.L., Bertoncini, A.A., Hostim-Silva, M. and Barreiros, J.P. (2008) Feeding strategy and trophic ontogeny in Epinephelus marginatus (Serranidae) from Southern Brazil. Cybium 32, 33–41.Google Scholar
Mayer, I., Shackley, S.E. and Ryland, J.S. (1988) Aspects of the reproductive biology of the bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. L. I. An histological and histochemical study of oocyte development. Journal of Fish Biology 33, 609–622.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neill, S.R.St.J. (1967) Observations on the behaviour of the grouper species Epinephelus guaza and E. alexandrinus (Serranidae). Underwater Association Report, pp. 101–106.Google Scholar
Parrish, J.D. (1987) The trophic biology of snappers and groupers. In Polovina, J.J. and Ralston, S. (eds) Tropical snappers and groupers: biology and fisheries management. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, pp. 405–463.Google Scholar
Pinkas, L., Oliphant, M.S. and Iverson, I. L. K. (1971) Food habits of albacore, blue fin tuna and bonito in California waters. Fishery Bulletin 152, 1–105.Google Scholar
Quiniou, L. (1978) Les poissons démersaux de la baie de Douarnenez alimentation et écologie . Thèse doctorat 3ème cycle, Océanographie Biologique. Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France, 222 pp.Google Scholar
Reñones, O., Polunin, N.V.C. and Goni, R. (2002) Size related dietary shifts of Epinephelus marginatus in a western Mediterranean littoral ecosystem: an isotope and stomach content analysis. Journal of Fish Biology 61, 122–137.Google Scholar
Rosecchi, E. and Nouaze, Y. (1987) Comparaison de cinq indices alimentaires utilisés dans l'analyse des contenus stomacaux. Revue des travaux de l'Institut des Pêches Maritimes 49, 111–123.Google Scholar
Santos, R.S., Porteiro, F.M. and Barreiros, J.P. (1997) Marine fishes of the Azores: an annotated checklist and bibliography. Arquipélago . Life and Marine Sciences Supplement. Volume 1, xxii + 231 pp.Google Scholar
Spedicato, M.T., Contegiacomo, M., Carbonara, P. and Lembo, G. (1998) Ovarian maturation and spawning in Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) induced by hormone treatments. In Proceedings of 33rd International Symposium on New Species of Mediterranean Aquaculture, Alguero (Italy), 22–24 April 1998.Google Scholar
Steindachner, F. (1878) Ichtyologische Beiträge. VI. Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien . Sitzungsberichte 77, 379–392, 2 pl.Google Scholar
Stergiou, K.I. and Karpouzi, V.S. (2002) Feeding habits and trophic levels of Mediterranean fish. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 11, 217–254.Google Scholar
Tortonese, E. (1986) Serranidae. In Whitehead, P.J.P., Bauchot, M.-L., Hureau, J.-C., Nielsen, J. and Tortonese, E. (eds) Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Vol. II. Paris: UNESCO, pp. 780–792.Google Scholar
Wadie, W.F., Ezzat, A.A. and Mikail, M.Y. (1985) Biometric studies on Epinephelus aeneus (G. Saint Hilaire) and E. alexandrinus. Folia Morphologica Prague 33, 310–315.Google Scholar
Wadie, W.F., Hashem, M.T., Mikail, M.Y. and Ezzat, A.A. (1981) Age and growth of Epinephelus alexandrinus in the Egyptian Mediterranean waters. Bulletin of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Cairo 7, 559–574.Google Scholar