Pelagic cephalopods of the central Mediterranean Sea determined by the analysis of the stomach content of large fish predators

Romeo, Teresa; Battaglia, Pietro; Pedà, Cristina; Perzia, Patrizia; Consoli, Pierpaolo; Esposito, Valentina; Andaloro, Franco

doi:10.1007/s10152-011-0270-3

Cited by 44 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Primno macropa), euphausiids and mollusks (Atlantidae, Creseidae, Peraclidae), as well as Myctophidae and Sternoptychidae among fish (Berdar et al 1983;Guglielmo et al 1995). The influence of the hydrodynamic system on the trophic web of the Strait of Messina has already been highlighted for large pelagic predators occurring in the area (Romeo et al 2012;Battaglia et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and first documented data on plastic ingestion ofTrachinotus ovatusL. 1758 (Pisces: Carangidae) from the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea)

Battaglia

Pedà

Musolino

et al. 2015

Italian Journal of Zoology

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The present paper investigates the diet and the food composition of Trachinotus ovatus in the central Mediterranean Sea (Strait of Messina). Moreover, the first documented data on plastic ingestion by T. ovatus are also reported. Samples ranging between 16.5 and 28.0 cm fork length were collected between May and November 2012 in the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea) by trolling lines. T. ovatus fed mainly on pelagic crustaceans and fishes, although the contribution of mollusks was also important. The absence of dominant prey indicated a generalist feeding behavior. The plastic debris was found in the stomach content of T. ovatus with a high percentage of occurrence (%O = 24.3%). Considering the commercial interest that T. ovatus has in some small-scale fishery markets, the potential impact of plastics on the trophic web and human consumption should be investigated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and first documented data on plastic ingestion ofTrachinotus ovatusL. 1758 (Pisces: Carangidae) from the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea)

Battaglia

Pedà

Musolino

et al. 2015

Italian Journal of Zoology

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“…The predation on H. dispar has already been reported in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea also for the other pelagic predators Thunnus alalunga (Consoli et al 2008), Auxis rochei (Mostarda et al 2007) and Euthynnus alletteratus (Falautano et al 2007). This sepiolid is among the most abundant cephalopods in the area (Romeo et al 2011) and a huge biomass of H. dispar was also recorded in other Mediterranean locations (Bello 1991(Bello , 1999), suggesting that it may be an important key species in the Mediterranean pelagic food web (Romeo et al 2011). Thus, YOY bluefin tuna likely competes for this food resource in the area with the above-mentioned predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…In fact, the occurrence in stomach contents of some cephalopods, such as pelagic octopuses or deep squids, can be higher than is usually shown by records or occasional catches (Romeo et al 2011). On the other hand, the ingestion of cephalopod prey with different vertical distribution and ecology can add important data for the understanding of predator diving behavior during hunting (Lansdell & Young 2007;Romeo et al 2011;Battaglia et al 2013). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…According to Romeo et al (2011), when cephalopod prey were too digested and their wet mass was not measurable, cephalopod fresh weight was back-calculated from beak size, using equations available in the bibliography (Clarke 1962(Clarke , 1986Wolff 1982Wolff , 1984Lu & Ickeringill 2002;Romeo et al 2011). For this purpose, the lower rostrum length (LRL) for Oegopsida and the lower hood length (LHL) for Sepioidea and Octopoda were recorded to the nearest 0.1 mm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Actually, some predators are known to be efficient cephalopod prey collectors and the use of these species as samplers allows the estimation of the assemblage of their cephalopod prey in a determinate area. Romeo et al (2011) used this approach to describe the cephalopod community living in an area of the central Mediterranean Sea and taking into account four large predators (Xiphias gladius, Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus alalunga and Tetrapturus belone) to reduce bias due to the different predator diving behaviors and feeding strategies. An additional step is represented by the indirect assessment of the horizontal and vertical distribution of cephalopod prey, gathered from the relationship between physical and biological factors to predator distribution, ecology and catch place (Lansdell & Young 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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**Cephalopods in the diet of young-of-the-year bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnusL. 1758, Pisces: Scombridae) from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (central Mediterranean Sea)**

Battaglia

Pedà

Sinopoli

et al. 2013

Italian Journal of Zoology

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Information on distribution and abundance of cephalopods inhabiting pelagic water masses is often not available because of the difficulty of applying conventional methods in this remote habitat. An alternative source of information is represented by stomach content analysis of pelagic predators that are known to be efficient cephalopod prey collectors. This study focuses on the occurrence of cephalopod prey in the diet of young-of-the-year bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus L. 1758, Pisces: Scombridae) in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (central Mediterranean). Overall, 139 fishes were sampled by trolling lines or purse-seine in a Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) area and as by-catch of the purse-seine sardine fishery, from 1998 to 2000 between July and November. Cephalopods found in the stomach contents were identified to the lowest possible taxon and, when digestion was too advanced, beaks from stomachs were considered as the best taxonomic feature for classification. Of a total of 1233 cephalopod prey, 1144 individuals were identified, belonging to 15 species. Onychoteuthis banksii was the most common prey (%N = 58.39), followed by Heteroteuthis dispar (%N = 23.03). This importance was confirmed also in terms of biomass with O. banksii and H. dispar that respectively reached 39.41% and 21.23% in weight, followed by Todarodes sagittatus (%W = 20.16). In general, young-of-the-year bluefin tunas are able to feed on a large spectrum of cephalopod prey in the study area, usually relying on juvenile specimens and epipelagic and mesopelagic shoaling species. In fact, the identified preys mainly belong to muscular squids (71%) and sepiolids (25%), but pelagic octopuses, buoyant squids and juvenile demersal octopuses were also recorded. These data provide further information on the feeding habits of T. thynnus, relative to a poorly investigated life stage. The improving knowledge on trophic relationships of young tunas and their reliance on cephalopod taxa is an important step in supporting management of this fishery resource.

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Habitat suitability modeling in different sperm whale social groups

Pace

Arcangeli

Mussi³

et al. 2018

J Wildl Manag

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The identification of significant habitats for highly mobile marine vertebrates is essential for their conservation. Evidence is often difficult to obtain for deep‐diving species such as sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), where standard visual survey methods are not sufficient to detect the species. Sperm whales rely on sound for most of their activities, so acoustics is a crucial tool to locate them in the environment and collect information about their daily life. We used a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling approach to predict potential habitats for sperm whales during 2007–2015 in an area of the Mediterranean Sea (characterized by submarine canyon systems) where sperm whale singletons, social units of females and calves, and clusters with immature males, were regularly encountered in sympatry. Models to test species’ distribution and the potential differences between groups of varying composition and life stages were based on 3 independent variables (depth, slope, and Euclidean distance from the nearest coast) and a combination of presence‐only visual and acoustic data from boat‐based surveys. One variable (depth) was the strongest predictor in all encounters (pooled data) and clusters, whereas distance from coast and slope best predicted encounters with singletons and social units, respectively. The model predicted suitable locations in areas that were well‐known sperm whale habitat and in new regions of previously overlooked habitat, which possibly represent key areas for this endangered species in the Mediterranean. This study highlights that consideration should be taken regarding type of social aggregation when using modeling techniques for generating suitable habitat maps for conservation purposes. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

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Pelagic cephalopods of the central Mediterranean Sea determined by the analysis of the stomach content of large fish predators

Cited by 44 publications

References 27 publications

Diet and first documented data on plastic ingestion ofTrachinotus ovatusL. 1758 (Pisces: Carangidae) from the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea)

Diet and first documented data on plastic ingestion ofTrachinotus ovatusL. 1758 (Pisces: Carangidae) from the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea)

**Cephalopods in the diet of young-of-the-year bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnusL. 1758, Pisces: Scombridae) from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (central Mediterranean Sea)**

Habitat suitability modeling in different sperm whale social groups

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