Gastric evacuation in little skate

• Published in: Journal of Fish Biology
• Main Authors: Nelson, G. A., Ross, M. R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1995
• Subjects: Meganyctiphanes norvegica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1995.tb01402.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1095-8649.1995.tb01402.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1995.tb01402.x

The effects of prey type and prey preparation on the mathematical forms and rates describing gastric evacuation in little skate Raja erinacea were examined. Linear and square–root models best described the gastric evacuation of whole, thin–shelled krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica , clam feet/muscle Spisula solidissima/Placopecten magellanicus , polychaetes Glycera spp. and sand lance Ammodytes dubius . Evacuation of krill and clams was faster than polychaetes and sand lance. A logistic model best described the evacuation data of thick–shelled benthic shrimp Crangon septemspinosa/Palaemonetes spp. Cut polychaetes Nereis spp. were digested at an exponential rate and were evacuated faster than would be predicted based upon comparison with live polychaetes and previously published evacuation–temperature relationships. The results of this study suggest that a single equation does not describe the evacuation process for all prey, and that whole prey should be used if laboratory–derived rates of gastric evacuation are to reflect what might occur in wild fishes.