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Feeding habits of Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis, from south-eastern Brazil: new items and a knowledge review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2012

Xênia Moreira Lopes ,
Ednilson da Silva ,
Manuela Bassoi ,
Roberta Aguiar dos Santos  and
Marcos César de Oliveira Santos
Xênia Moreira Lopes*
Affiliation:
Projeto Atlantis, Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Cetáceos, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24-A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
Ednilson da Silva
Affiliation:
Projeto Atlantis, Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Cetáceos, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24-A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
Manuela Bassoi
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Avenida Pau Brasil, 211, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Roberta Aguiar dos Santos
Affiliation:
Centro de Pesquisa e Gestão de Recursos Pesqueiros do Litoral Sudeste e Sul (CEPSUL), Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Avenida Ministro Victor Konder, 374, Centro, Itajaí, SC, Brazil
Marcos César de Oliveira Santos
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Mamíferos Aquáticos, Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: X.M. Lopes, Projeto Atlantis, Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Cetáceos, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Estadual Paulista, ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24-A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil email: xeniamlopes@gmail.com
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Abstract

This study presents new information on feeding habits of Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis, in south-eastern Brazil, together with new regression equations to evaluate the weight and length of fish from otoliths, showing an overview on the knowledge about this species’ diet in this area. Eighteen stomach contents had been analysed and compared to 180 samples collected in another eight feeding studies. The analysed specimens were either incidentally caught in gillnets used in coastal waters by the fleet based in the Cananéia main harbour (25°00′S 47°55′W), south of São Paulo State, or found dead in inner waters of the Cananéia estuary between 2003 and 2009. Based on the index of relative importance analysis, the most important fish species were the banded croaker, Paralonchurus brasiliensis. Doryteuthis plei was the most representative cephalopod species. Stellifer rastrifer was the most important fish species observed in dolphins in inner estuarine waters and P. brasiliensis in recovered dolphins from coastal waters. Loliguncula brevis is the only cephalopod species reported from dolphins found in inner estuarine waters up to date. Doryteuthis plei was the most important cephalopod species observed in coastal dolphins. When considering other feeding studies, the most representative fish family in the diet of S. guianensis was Sciaenidae, which is mainly represented by demersal fishes. The main preys of S. guianensis are abundant in the studied areas, which may indicate an opportunistic feeding habit. The majority of them are not the most important target species by the commercial fishery in south-eastern Brazil.

Keywords

Sotalia guianensisfeeding habitsGuiana dolphinCetaceaBrazil
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 92 , Issue 8: Marine Mammals , December 2012 , pp. 1723 - 1733
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2012

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