Feeding habits of the ocean whitefish, Caulolatilus princeps Jenyns 1842 (Pisces: Branchiostegidae), in La Paz Bay, B.C.S., Mexico

Abstract

A total of 198 digestive tracts of ocean whitefish (Caulolatilus princeps, Jenyns, 1842) were examined from monthly catches, from February 1986 to January 1987. Using four indices (numeric, volumetric, frequency of occurrence and relative importance), the food components of the trophic spectrum were determined and categorized. This was made up of five major taxa: annelids, molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms and fishes. The spectrum is dominated, most of the year, by the ostracod Conchoecia pacifìca, along with other secondary food items like hyperiid amphipods (Vibilia sp.), euphausiids (Nycthiphanes simplex), galatheids (Pleuroncodes planipes), pteropod molluscs (Hyaloselix striata, Clio piramidata), cephalopods (Loligo opalescens) and fishes, and with a range of incidental food items, like gammarids (Ampheliscidae), crab larvae (Callinectes sp.), isopods, penaeids, thalassinoideans, small gastropods, polychaetes and echinoderms. There are no significant differences in the spectra from males and females (Wilcoxon’s test, P = 0.05). The number of food components in the diet seems to increase with length. The most intensive feeding takes place between the end of the reproductive period and its start. In conclusion, the ocean whitefish is a passive predatory teleost, that feeds mainly during daylight hours upon organisms associated with the sea floor.

Understanding organism-habitat relationships and critically evaluating reference areas is key to marine protected area assessment

“…Ocean whitefish, the most abundant species observed in our study, are a medium size (39-56 cm TL at sexual maturity) tilefish (Malacanthidae) common in Southern California and Baja, Mexico. Typically residing at the periphery of rocky reefs, ocean whitefish primarily feed on small invertebrates often in nearby sandy flats (Elorduy-Garay and Caraveo-Patiño 1994;Love 2011). This species is a staple for the recreational fishery in the heart of its geographic range and is likely to benefit from fishing protection.…”

Eumetazoan parasites of two marine fish species from Baja California, Mexico:Sebastes miniatus(Jordan & Gilbert, 1880) andCaulolatilus princeps(Jenyns, 1840)

“…The S. miniatus is distributed from Alaska to middle Baja California, and the C. princeps from Canada to Baja California, including the Revillagigedo Islands (México). Both species are benthic and include planktonic and benthic organisms in their diets (Fitch and Lavenberg, ; Elorduy‐Garay and Caraveo‐Patiño, ; Love et al., ; Elorduy‐Garay et al., ), which is a potential for definitive and intermediate hosts by trophic transmission.…”