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Diet of the queen angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris (Pomacanthidae) in São Pedro e São Paulo Archipelago, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2012

Fernanda Reis ,
Fernando Moraes ,
Daniela Batista ,
Roberto Villaça ,
Aline Aguiar  and
Guilherme Muricy
Fernanda Reis
Affiliation:
Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Fernando Moraes
Affiliation:
Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Daniela Batista
Affiliation:
Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Roberto Villaça
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
Aline Aguiar
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Guilherme Muricy*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: G. Muricy, Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil email: muricy@mn.ufrj.br
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Abstract

Holacanthus ciliaris is an important benthic-feeding reef fish but the relationship between the composition of its diet and prey availability is still unknown. Here we determined the quantitative composition of the gut contents of H. ciliaris in São Pedro e São Paulo Archipelago, Brazil (SPSPA), and compared it to the abundance of benthic organisms in the area. Holacanthus ciliaris has a relatively diversified diet with more than 30 prey species in SPSPA, especially sponges (13 spp., average 68% of gut contents total weight), algae (12 spp., 25%) and bryozoans (3 spp., 5%). In contrast, the benthic community is composed mainly of algae (average 81% of total cover) and followed by sponges (13%), bryozoans (5%), cnidarians (0.5%), polychaetes (0.5%) and tunicates (0.5%). The most common species were the algae Caulerpella ambigua and Caulerpa racemosa var. peltata; the bryozoan Margaretta buski; and the sponges Scopalina ruetzleri, Chondrosia collectrix and Clathria calla. The Manly resource selection function showed that H. ciliaris preferred the sponges Geodia neptuni, Erylus latens, Clathria calla and Asteropus niger, among others, and avoided common species such as the sponges Scopalina ruetzleri, Dysidea etheria and Hemimycale insularis and the algae Caulerpella ambigua, Bryopsis plumosa and Neomeris annulata. Kendall's rank correlation index showed no significant correlation between prey abundance in the field and in the diet of H. ciliaris, which seems to actively choose relatively rare and less defended prey.

Keywords

angelfishPoriferaalgaedietecologyoceanic islandCentral Atlantic
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Special Issue 2: Fish and Fisheries , March 2013 , pp. 453 - 460
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2012

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Reis et al. supplementary material

Specimens of Holacanthus ciliaris from São Pedro e São Paulo Archipelago (SPSPA) showing swimming behaviour and different chromatic patterns: the typical yellow/orange and the rare white and blue patterns (images by Fernando Moraes and Diogo Pagnoncelli).

Download Reis et al. supplementary material(Video)
Video 16.8 MB

Reis et al. supplementary material

Spearfishing and gut removal of a specimen of Holacanthus ciliaris from São Pedro e São Paulo Archipelago (SPSPA) showing large, colourful fragments of sponges and algae in gut contents( images by Aline Aguiar).

Download Reis et al. supplementary material(Video)
Video 15.7 MB