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Email the author (Login required) Food habits of the lane snapper, Lutjanus synagris (Perciformes: Lutjanidae), in the north zone of the Colombian Caribbean
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol38-issue3-fulltext-6
Abstract
This work describes the food habits of Lutjanus synagris by means of stomach content analysis, considering the trophic spectrum in general as well as by sex and size, the ecological aspects of the preys, their spatial distribution, and the relationship of the diet with the habitat conditions. In the analysis of 148 stomachs 45.3% were found to be full and 54.7% empty. The most representative preys (%N) were: Portunus spp. (27.3 %; n = 44) and Squilla intermedia (10.6%; n = 17), whereas the gravimetric analysis (%P) showed the heaviest preys to be Gastropoda (31.8%; 51.74 g) and Farfantepenaeus spp. (17.5%; 28.52 g). The frequency of occurrence (%FO) showed that Portunus spp. (25.4%; 17 stomachs) and S. intermedia (10.5%; 7 stomachs) were the most frequent preys. According to the IRI (%), Portunus spp. (43.01%) and Gastropoda (13.38%) were the most representative categories. The diet of L. synagris was found to consist of four types of main preys: Portunidae (837.06), Gastropod (260.29), Squillidae (234.66), and Penaeidae (218.05); and two types of secondary preys: Sicyoniidae (126.35) and Trichiuridae (75.64); with all others being incidental preys. The spatial distribution of the breadth of the trophic niche and the size of L. synagris allowed us to identify two zones. The first, between Riohacha and Dibulla, had the highest niche breadth values (0.64-1.00), denoting generalist predators, and the smallest specimens of L. synagris. The second zone, between Riohacha and Punta Gallinas, had the lowest niche breath values (0.00-0.23), indicating a high degree of dietary specialization, and the largest-sized individuals.
