Feeding habits of the apron ray, Discopyge tschudii (Elasmobranchii: Narcinidae), from off Uruguay and northern Argentina

The feeding habits of the apron ray, Discopyge tschudii, were investigated, off Uruguay and northern Argentina, and we tested the hypothesis that the diet changes with increasing body size, between sexes and seasons using a multiple-hypothesis modelling approach. Discopyge tschudii preys mainly on p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013-03, Vol.93 (2), p.291-297
Main Authors: Spath, M. Cecilia, Barbini, Santiago A., Figueroa, Daniel E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body size
Cold season
Diet
Ecology of Elasmobranchs
Generalized linear models
Hypotheses
Independent variables
Predation
Salinity
Seasons
Siphons
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Summary:The feeding habits of the apron ray, Discopyge tschudii, were investigated, off Uruguay and northern Argentina, and we tested the hypothesis that the diet changes with increasing body size, between sexes and seasons using a multiple-hypothesis modelling approach. Discopyge tschudii preys mainly on polychaetes (88.77% index of relative importance (IRI)) followed by siphons of the clam Amiantis purpurata (8.13% IRI) and amphipods (3.08% IRI). Ontogenetic, sexual and seasonal changes were found. Larger individuals of D. tschudii consumed buried polychaetes more often. The consumption of errant polychaetes was higher in males and in the cold season. Also, amphipods were preyed on more heavily by females and the number of siphons of A. purpurata consumed was higher in the cold season.
ISSN:0025-3154
1469-7769
DOI:10.1017/S0025315412000665