Feeding and spatial distribution of two estuarine puffer fish in a tropical estuary, north-eastern Brazil

The distribution and feeding ecology of two puffer fish, Sphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Colomesus psittacus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), were investigated in a tropical estuary (north-eastern Brazil). The hypothesis tested was that these two species partition available resources spat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2018-05, Vol.98 (3), p.581-588
Main Authors: Araújo, Priscila Rocha Vasconcelos, Costa, Silvia Yasmin Lustosa, Duarte, Maria Rita Nascimento, Pessanha, André Luiz Machado
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Beach seines
Beaches
Brackishwater environment
Characiformes
Colomesus psittacus
Creeks
Creeks & streams
Crustacea
Diet
Distribution
Estuaries
Estuarine dynamics
Estuarine environments
Feeding
Fish
Habitat utilization
Interspecific
Juveniles
Larvae
Marine biology
Marine molluscs
Mollusks
Relative abundance
Resources
Rivers
Salinity
Seasons
Sediments
Spatial distribution
Species
Sphoeroides testudineus
Studies
Tetraodontidae
Tropical climate
Turbidity
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Summary:The distribution and feeding ecology of two puffer fish, Sphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Colomesus psittacus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), were investigated in a tropical estuary (north-eastern Brazil). The hypothesis tested was that these two species partition available resources spatially, and that the effects of interspecific competition can be reduced by changes in the feeding strategy and using alternative resources. This study was carried out between February 2011 and January 2012, on a beach and three tidal creeks of the Mamanguape River estuary. Data on the distribution and relative abundance of the two species were collected using beach seine, with data on temperature, salinity and turbidity also recorded. The diets of the species (S. testudineus N = 399; C. psittacus N = 108) were analysed by the Index of Relative Importance (IRI). Sphoeroides testudineus was found in the entire area, but was particularly abundant in the upper estuary, while C. psittacus was captured exclusively in the upper estuary, with all individuals assumed to be juveniles. In regard to feeding, juvenile S. testudineus predated on Bivalves, Ceratopogonidae larvae, calanoids and gastropods; whilst C. psittacus showed a diet more specialized in Brachyura and Cirripedia. These results suggest that there are differences in both habitat utilization and feeding habits of these two puffer fish species in this estuary.
ISSN:0025-3154
1469-7769
DOI:10.1017/S0025315416001454