Feeding habits of the Madeira rockfish Scorpaena maderensis from central Mediterranean Sea

Biology, Feeding, and Habitat Preferences of Cadenat's Rockfish, <I>Scorpaena Loppei</I> (Actinopterygii: Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae), in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean)

“…Scorpaena is a genus composed of species with a generalized and opportunistic feeding strategy (Harmelin-Vivien et al 1989, La Mesa et al 2007, whose typical prey items irrespective of species, biotope or geographic zone considered are decapod crustaceans (Harmelin-Vivien et al 1989). This seems not to be the case of S. loppei which showed a specialized feeding strategy with a diet based on crustaceans, which are also the main prey of the rest of small scorpion fish species such as S. porcus, S. notata, and S. maderensis (see: HarmelinVivien et al 1989, Morte et al 2001, La Mesa et al 2007), but with mysids and decapods crustaceans showing a similar importance. These differences in feeding strategy and diet composition might be related to the different bathymetric distribution and habitat preferences of S. loppei as compared to the rest of Scorpaena species.…”

“…These differences in feeding strategy and diet composition might be related to the different bathymetric distribution and habitat preferences of S. loppei as compared to the rest of Scorpaena species. According to La Mesa et al (2007) the close resemblance in feeding habits of S. maderensis, S. notata, and S. porcus is probably due to their similar body size and habitat preferences. Moreover, the depth ranges of the coastal scorpion fish species, S. maderensis, S. notata, S. porcus, and S. scrofa are overlapped, and most descriptions of their diets have been done from coastal samples within the 4 to 100 m depth range (Harmelin-Vivien et al 1989, Arcuelo et al 1993, La Mesa et al 2007).…”

“…According to La Mesa et al (2007) the close resemblance in feeding habits of S. maderensis, S. notata, and S. porcus is probably due to their similar body size and habitat preferences. Moreover, the depth ranges of the coastal scorpion fish species, S. maderensis, S. notata, S. porcus, and S. scrofa are overlapped, and most descriptions of their diets have been done from coastal samples within the 4 to 100 m depth range (Harmelin-Vivien et al 1989, Arcuelo et al 1993, La Mesa et al 2007). In contrast, S. loppei seems to be restricted to sandy-mud bottoms, which in the Balearic Islands, due to its particular oceanographic scenario (absence of terrigenous sediments and high oligotrophy) and the low coefficients of light attenuation (Ballesteros and Zabala 1993), start to appear below 90-100 m depth, which is the deepest limit of the facies with red algae that predominates on the coastal continental shelf off the Archipelago below 50 m depth (Ballesteros 1994, Ordines and).…”

“…In fact, the only station shallower than 100 m where S. loppei was present is located at 93 m depth Biology, feeding, and distribution of Cadenat's rockfish 27 in the south-east area off Mallorca right beside the edge of the Emile Baudot Scarpe, the most pronounced slope in the area of study, and is characterised by the coincidence of typifying species of both the coastal continental shelf red algae facies and the deep shelf sandy-mud bottoms (unpublished data). Mysids are rare or of low importance in the rest of coastal scorpion fish species (Harmelin-Vivien et al 1989, Arcuelo et al 1993, Morte et al 2001, La Mesa et al 2007). However, other species inhabiting a similar habitat and bathymetric range to that of S. loppei such as the spotted flounder Citharus linguatula (L.) also have mysids as one of the most important preys (Carpentieri et al 2010).…”

Composición de la dieta y estrategia alimentaria de cinco especies de peces bentónicos de la costa de Cullera (España)

“…Con respecto a esta últi-ma especie, se han publicado algunos estudios realizados en otras especies del mismo género como es el caso del estudio realizado por LA MESA et al (2007), quienes observaron que en Scorpaena maderensis la mayoría de las presas fueron raras y por lo tanto la clasifi can como una especie generalista en la cual un gran número de presas son normalmente consumidas por un porcentaje bajo de depredadores, aun cuando algunas veces en cantidades enormes. Esta especie cuenta con un espectro trófi co amplio a nivel poblacional pero se caracteriza por una alimentación especialista a nivel individual.…”