Feeding ecology of the deep-sea lanternshark Etmopterus pusillus (Elasmobranchii: Etmopteridae) in the northeast Atlantic

• Published in: Scientia Marina
• Main Authors: Coelho, Rui, Xavier, José C., Vieira, Cátia, Assis, Carlos António da Silva, Cherel, Yves, Hill, Simeon, Costa, Esmeralda, Borges, Teresa C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: CSIC Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas 2012
• Subjects: deep-sea fisheries; elasmobranch; Etmopterus pusillus; feeding ecology; lanternshark; pesquerías demersales; elasmobranquios; ecología alimentaria; tiburón tollo lucero liso; Nordeste; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10316/109966; https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.03540.07B

This study provides the first description of the feeding ecology of the smooth lanternshark Etmopterus pusillus based on stomach contents of specimens caught as bycatch in the Algarve (southern Portugal) with bottom trawling and bottom longline. The diet of E. pusillus consists mainly of fish (dry weight (% W)=87.1%; frequency of occurrence (%FO)=28.6%; number (%N)=30.3%), crustaceans (%W=7.7%; %FO=36.7%; %N=3.4%) and cephalopods (%W=4.7%; %FO=11.3%; %N=11.1%). The diet did not vary between sexes. Ontogenic changes were detected: crustaceans decreased in importance as the sharks increased in size and fish became dominant in the diet of adults. Combining two fishing methods provided broad information on the diet of E. pusillus, as bottom trawling caught smaller specimens and longlines caught larger individuals. E. pusillus feeds mainly on non-commercial species, and therefore does not compete directly with commercial fisheries. Finally, E. pusillus feeds in various parts of the water column and thus it can access a wide range of prey; however, this also means that it can be caught by both gears, making it more vulnerable in terms of conservation. Se proporciona la primera descripci�n de la ecolog�a alimentaria del tibur�n tollo lu-cero liso Etmopterus pusillus mediante el análisis de contenidos estomacales de individuos capturados accidentalmente en el Algarve (sur de Portugal)mediante arrastre y palangre de fondo. La dieta de E. pusillus consiste mayoritariamente en peces (%W=87.1%; %FO=28.6%; %N=30.3%), crustáceos (%W=7.7%; %FO=36.7%; %N=53.4%) y cefal�podos (%W=4.7%; %FO=11.3%; %N=11.1%; % W=peso seco, %FO=Frecuencia de aparici�n, %N=Número). No se observaron diferencias entre sexos en su dieta, pero s� cambios ontogénicos, con los crustáceos disminuyendo en importancia a medida que el tibur�n alcanza tallas mayores, y los peces dominando la dieta de los adultos. Ambos tipos de pesquer�a proporcionaron informaci�n adecuada sobre la dieta de E. pusillus, con el arrastre capturando tallas menores, y el ...