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Feeding habits of the apron ray, Discopyge tschudii (Elasmobranchii: Narcinidae), from off Uruguay and northern Argentina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2012

M. Cecilia Spath ,
Santiago A. Barbini  and
Daniel E. Figueroa
M. Cecilia Spath*
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Ictiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional del Mar del Plata, Funes 3359, Mar del Plata, B7602AYL, Argentina Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Avenida Rivadavia 1917, Cuidad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1033AAJ, Argentina
Santiago A. Barbini
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Ictiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional del Mar del Plata, Funes 3359, Mar del Plata, B7602AYL, Argentina Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Avenida Rivadavia 1917, Cuidad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1033AAJ, Argentina
Daniel E. Figueroa
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Ictiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional del Mar del Plata, Funes 3359, Mar del Plata, B7602AYL, Argentina
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: M.C. Spath, Laboratorio de Ictiología, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata, B7602AYL, Argentina email: ceciliaspath@gmail.com
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Abstract

The feeding habits of the apron ray, Discopyge tschudii, were investigated, off Uruguay and northern Argentina, and we tested the hypothesis that the diet changes with increasing body size, between sexes and seasons using a multiple-hypothesis modelling approach. Discopyge tschudii preys mainly on polychaetes (88.77% index of relative importance (IRI)) followed by siphons of the clam Amiantis purpurata (8.13% IRI) and amphipods (3.08% IRI). Ontogenetic, sexual and seasonal changes were found. Larger individuals of D. tschudii consumed buried polychaetes more often. The consumption of errant polychaetes was higher in males and in the cold season. Also, amphipods were preyed on more heavily by females and the number of siphons of A. purpurata consumed was higher in the cold season.

Keywords

Argentinadiet variationpredationNarcinidaeUruguay
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Special Issue 2: Fish and Fisheries , March 2013 , pp. 291 - 297
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2012

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