Contribution of polychaetous annelids to the diet of Cheilodactylus bergi (Pisces, Cheilodactylidae)

The hawkfish (castañeta) Cheilodactylus bergi Norman, 1937 is distributed in the Atlantic Ocean, from southern Brazil (22ºS) to San Jorge Gulf in Argentina (47ºS), between 50 and 150m depth, and constitutes a fishing resource of commercial value. Previous studies indicated that polychaetes constitut...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Bruno, Claudia, Cousseau, María Berta, Bremec, Claudia Silvia
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2000
Country:Argentina
Institution:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repository:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/40793
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/40793
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Cheilodactylidae
Trophic Spectrum
Mobile Polychaetes
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Description
Summary:The hawkfish (castañeta) Cheilodactylus bergi Norman, 1937 is distributed in the Atlantic Ocean, from southern Brazil (22ºS) to San Jorge Gulf in Argentina (47ºS), between 50 and 150m depth, and constitutes a fishing resource of commercial value. Previous studies indicated that polychaetes constitute its main food. The contribution of different families of worms to the diet of hawkfish and the relationships between those taxa and the benthic fauna of the feeding grounds are presented in this paper. A total of 522 specimens of fish was measured, weighed and the gut contents analyzed. Polychaete families, mainly Onuphidae, Lumbrineridae and Eunicidae,were the most important feeding items in specimens from 28 to 51cm total length, both in percent of frequence (%F) and percent of weight (%W). Occasional presence of Aphroditidae, Arabellidae, Palmyridae, Lysaretidae and Dorvilleidae was recorded. Bibliographic data on faunistic composition of feeding grounds indicate that polychaetes constitute between 12% to 21% of number of taxa of macroinvertebrates. C. bergi feed upon 25-38% of species of polychaetes present in the area.. It is concluded that C. bergi feed on polychaetes which are mandibulated, implying mobility over the benthic surface.