Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T23:42:15.550Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Diet of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae) off the south coast of Portugal (eastern Algarve)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2006

Dário Mendes Alves ,
Margarida Cristo ,
João Sendão  and
Teresa Cerveira Borges
Dário Mendes Alves
Affiliation:
Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences (FCMA), Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Margarida Cristo
Affiliation:
Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences (FCMA), Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
João Sendão
Affiliation:
Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences (FCMA), Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
Teresa Cerveira Borges
Affiliation:
Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences (FCMA), Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The diet of Sepia officinalis was studied by examining the stomach contents of 522 specimens caught off the coast of the Algarve, Portugal. A total of 49 different prey items, belonging to six taxa (Polychaeta, Cephalopoda, Teleostei, Bivalvia, Crustacea and Gastropoda) was found, indicating opportunistic feeding behaviour. The diet was examined in relation to season, sex and size. The diet of males and females were similar. For small S. officinalis, crustaceans were more important in weight, whereas for larger specimens, fish were dominant. Seasonal differences in the diet were apparent but were shown to be possibly influenced by the cuttlefish size.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 86 , Issue 2 , April 2006 , pp. 429 - 436
Copyright
2006 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)