Comparative analysis of the diet composition and its relation to morphological characteristics in Achirus mazatlanus and Syacium ovale (Pleuronectiformes: Osteichthyes) from a Mexican Pacific coastal lagoon

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate differences in diet composition between Achirus mazatlanus and Syacium ovale, two flatfishes inhabiting in a tropical coastal lagoon and to investigate the relationship of their feeding habits to size, body morphometry and mouths characteristics. Fish were collected during sampling trips conducted regularly from 2011 to 2016 using several types of fishing gear. Total number of analyzed stomachs with some food content was 328 for Achirus mazatlanus from 1.4 to 21.3 cm total length (TL) and 203 for Syacium ovale with 1.3 to 24.0 cm TL. Results indicate that both species share a general diet based on benthic invertebrates and fishes but S. ovale has a more piscivorous habit, which can be explained by a more slender body shape and larger teeth, characteristics which increase prey fish catching performance. Important changes in composition of food categories related to size were not found for any species, but larger fish of both species eat larger ranges of prey sizes, and this ontogenetic change is consistent with recent developments on optimal foraging theory.

Influencia del sustrato en la composición de la ictiofauna en zonas someras de la laguna costera Barra de Navidad, México

“…Numerosos autores argumentan la alta dependencia de los invertebrados bentónicos al tipo de sustrato y a los nutrientes de origen orgánico (Acevedo, 1997;Vinagre, Fonseca, Cabral, & Costa, 2006;Franco et al, 2006;Anderson, 2008;Van der Wal et al, 2008;Alves, Sutherland, & Gill, 2012, Van Colen et al, 2014. En general, la mayoría de las especies capturadas en esta investigación se alimentan de invertebrados bentónicos y peces pequeños, y estos últimos, a su vez, tienen a los invertebrados pequeños como componente principal en su dieta (Álvarez-Rubio et al, 1986;Arenas-Granados & Acero, 1992;Cruz-Agüero, Arellano-Martínez, Cota-Gómez, & Cruz-Agüero, 1997;Bussing, 1998;Flores-Ortega et al, 2015;Padilla-Gutiérrez, González-Sansón, Aguilar-Betancourt, & Flores-Ortega, 2020). Otras especies de peces se alimentan de detrito (González-Sansón et al, 2016).…”