Abstract
The feeding ecology of pemecou sea catfish (Sciades herzbergii) was studied bimonthly from September 2003 to July 2004 in a macrotidal mangrove creek at Curuçá estuary, Brazil. Feeding activity and relative importance of prey groups were assessed in 528 and 226 specimens (6.2 to 36.0 cm total length), respectively, using stomach contents. A total of 1 820 specimens were caught. The fish left the creek with an average of 2.2% of their body weight in prey. Feeding activity was lower in the dry season (September and November 2003) than in the rainy season (January to May 2004). The diet was dominated by Ocypodidae and Grapsidae. Feeding strategies of the pemecou sea catfish indicated a slight variation between the diets of adults and juveniles; however; the main factor leading to diversification in the diet were the seasons. Opportunistic feeding behavior was observed in the dry season, shifting to more specialized feeding in the wet season. This temporal diet shift may be explained by the environmental seasonal variations (e.g., transparency of the water, high water level) in the intertidal mangrove creek habitat.
Highlights
Ariids are medium to larger-sized demersal catfishes, mostly inhabiting estuarine and marine environments in tropical and sub-tropical regions (Acero and Betancur 2007), and are an important component of many tropical fisheries (Darracott 1977, Tobor 1978, Vasudevappa and James 1980, Conand et al 1995)
On the Northern coast of Brazil, S. herzbergii is an abundant species in the intertidal mangrove habitat (Barletta et al 2003, Krumme et al 2004, Giarrizzo and Krumme 2007a) and is an important resource both for the subsistence and the economy of the local population
The purpose of the present study is to describe the feeding ecology of pemecou sea catfish, by examining the ontogenetic and seasonal shift in diet in a macrotidal mangrove creek in the Curuçá estuary
Summary
Ariids are medium to larger-sized demersal catfishes, mostly inhabiting estuarine and marine environments in tropical and sub-tropical regions (Acero and Betancur 2007), and are an important component of many tropical fisheries (Darracott 1977, Tobor 1978, Vasudevappa and James 1980, Conand et al 1995). On the Northern coast of Brazil, S. herzbergii is an abundant species in the intertidal mangrove habitat (Barletta et al 2003, Krumme et al 2004, Giarrizzo and Krumme 2007a) and is an important resource both for the subsistence and the economy of the local population. The artisanal fishermen capture the pemecou sea catfish in first order intertidal mangrove creeks using non-selective fishing methods such as block nets (mesh size 3 cm) or fish trappings, thereby causing an adverse effect on fish recruitment (Giarrizzo and Krumme 2007b). Pemecou sea catfish is an important fishery resource along the Brazilian coast, information on its biology and ecology is still lacking. The purpose of the present study is to describe the feeding ecology of pemecou sea catfish, by examining the ontogenetic and seasonal shift in diet in a macrotidal mangrove creek in the Curuçá estuary
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