Regional differences in the feeding of the ambush predator Neosebastes pandus and comparisons of diets in the Scorpaenidae, Triglidae and Platycephalidae

Abstract

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the dietary composition of the ambush predator Neosebastes pandus and compares the diets of 49 species from 39 studies of three benthic predatory families in the Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae (20 species), Triglidae (19 species) and Platycephalidae (10 species). A total of 275 N. pandus were collected from the west (Rottnest Island) and south (Esperance) coasts of south-western Australia and the percentage frequency and volumetric contribution of the stomach contents identified. Fish from the west coast consumed a greater mean number of broad taxonomic groups and were more diverse in their diet than fish from the south coast. Cephalopods, brachyurans and teleosts were the largest overall contributors to diet, with teleosts being more important to diets of west-coast fish and polychaetes for south-coast fish. This reflects differences in habitat between the two locations. Dietary composition also changed with increasing body size, reflecting morphological changes that allow bigger fish to capture and ingest larger, more mobile prey. Meta-analysis of the diets of 49 species of scorpaenid, triglid and platycephalid revealed that they feed predominantly on teleosts and large crustaceans. Significant differences in diet were detected among families, with platycephalids being the most distinct and feeding more on teleosts than scorpaenids and triglids.

Diet and trophic role of octopus on an abalone sea ranch

“…This can mask subtle, but “real”, trends in diet. To reduce this potential effect, samples for each weight class for each dietary organ were randomly sorted into groups of between three and five, depending on the total number of octopus in the samples and averaged (Greenwell, Coulson, Tweedley & Loneragan, ; Lek et al., ).…”

Characteristics and implications of spongivory in the Knifejaw Oplegnathus woodwardi (Waite) in temperate mesophotic waters

“…Although clupeids are typically pelagic (Nelson, 2006), some clupeid species feed in the benthic environment under certain circumstances (Domermuth and Reed, 1980;Hourston et al, 2004). The Scorpaenidae, which was the next most important of the teleost families, contains relatively sedentary species of "ambush" predators that ingest some of the same (non-sponge) prey as O. woodwardi in waters slightly to the north on the lower west coast (Platell and Potter, 1998;Greenwell et al, 2018).…”

Feeding studies take guts – critical review and recommendations of methods for stomach contents analysis in fish

“…In mathematical terms, the frequency of occurrence ( f i ) and relative abundance ( p i ) of prey type i can be described by the equations: f i = N i / N and p i = ∑ S i / ∑ S T , where N i is the number of predators with prey type i in their stomach, N is the total number of predators with stomach contents, S i the amount of stomach contents composed by prey type i and S T the total amount of all prey types present in each stomach of the sample. The frequency of occurrence and in particular the relative abundance of prey (or a combination of both) are frequently used for quantitative description or graphical illustrations of the diet (Amundsen & Klemetsen, ; Greenwell et al ., ; Hyslop, 1980; Lek et al ., ). The relative prey abundance is also the variable typically used to provide estimates of dietary niche width as calculated by for example Levins' B (Levins, ) or Shannon's H (Shannon, ) indices, where B = 1 / ∑ p i and H = − ∑ p i log( p i ).…”