0000000000256142
AUTHOR
Antonio Sanz-brau
Relative growth in the Mediterranean endemic shore crab Brachynotus foresti Zariquiey Álvarez, 1968 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Varunidae)
AbstractThe relative growth of crustaceans has become a solid field of study since the early allometric studies undertaken during the first decades of the 20th century. The type of relative growth of brachyuran crabs mainly depends on the number of critical moults and growth phases, as well as on differences in the slopes of the relative growth of secondary sexual characters. We analysed for the first time the allometric growth of the brachyuran Brachynotus forestiZariquiey Álvarez, 1968 (Varunidae), a small Mediterranean endemic species, testing whether its small size might impede the manifestation of large allometries through ontogeny. We obtained 13 body measurements from 370 females and…
Diet of Phycis blennoides (Gadidae) in Relation to Fish Size and Season in the Western Mediterranean (Spain)
. Despite its commercial value, little is known about the feeding ecology of the greater forkbeard, Phycis blennoides (Brunnich 1768). The stomach contents of 2631 greater forkbeard were taken at monthly intervals off the coast of the Gulf of Valencia (western Mediterranean). They were examined in order to assess the diet and to determine the fish size- and season-related dietary variation of the species. Prey items were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. The basic food consisted of epibenthic species, mostly Decapoda, Mysidacea and Teleostei. A change in food composition based on fish size was observed and seasonal variation in diet was also recorded. The food overlap analy…
Trophic relationships between two gurnards Trigla lucerna and Aspitrigla obscura from the western Mediterranean
The feeding habits of Trigla lucerna L. (1758) and Aspitrigla obscura L. (1764) (Pisces: Triglidae), off the coast of the Gulf of Valencia (Spain), were investigated between October 1989 and January 1991. The two species examined in this study appear to have distinct feeding types, based on the species composition of prey and the frequency of occurrence of major food items. Tub gurnard had a more diverse diet and fed mainly on crustaceans (mysids and decapods), teleosts and molluscs, whilst long fin gurnard were less piscivorous and fed mainly on mysids and natantids. No significant differences were found in the annual variation of vacuity coefficient for either species. Diet composition in…
Feeding Habits of Trisopterus minutus capelanus (Gadidae) Off the Eastern Coast of Spain (Western Mediterranean)
. The stomach contents of poor cod, Trisopterus minutus capelanus (Lacepede), were taken at monthly intervals off the eastern coast of the Gulf of Valencia (Spain). A total of 1276 were analyzed to determine diet according to fish size and season. The basic food consists of crustaceans (Mysidacea and Decapoda) and teleosts. Feeding habits varied with size: decapods and fishes were more abundant in the stomachs of larger specimens. Little seasonal variation in food habits was recorded.
Feeding habits of the spotted flounder Citharus linguatula off the eastern coast of Spain
The composition of the diet of Citharus linguatula (L.) off the coast of the Gulf of Valencia, Spain, was determined between October 1989 and October 1990. The percentage of empty stomachs remained constant throughout the year, except for the period August to September, when a maximum was recorded coinciding with the reproductive period. Crustaceans (Mysidacea and Decapoda) and teleosts constituted the main prey. The composition of the prey ingested varied with predator size; small specimens contained a greater number of mysids in their stomachs, while decapods and fishes were more abundant in the stomachs of larger specimens. Diets varied seasonally: mysids were more important during autum…