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Diet composition of the sicklefin smooth-hound shark Mustelus lunulatus caught off El Pardito Island, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2012

X.G. Moreno-Sánchez
Affiliation:
Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR-IPN), Departamento de Pesquerías y Biología Marina, Avenida Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n Col, Playa Palo de Santa Rita, Apartado Postal 592, La Paz, B.C.S., México, C.P. 23096
O. Escobar-Sánchez
Affiliation:
Instituto Tecnológico de Mazatlán (ITMAZ), Laboratorio de Metales Pesados, Calle Corsario 1, No. 203 Col, Urías, C.P. 82070, A.P. 757, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México
L.A. Abitia-Cárdenas*
Affiliation:
Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR-IPN), Departamento de Pesquerías y Biología Marina, Avenida Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n Col, Playa Palo de Santa Rita, Apartado Postal 592, La Paz, B.C.S., México, C.P. 23096
V.H. Cruz-Escalona
Affiliation:
Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR-IPN), Departamento de Pesquerías y Biología Marina, Avenida Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n Col, Playa Palo de Santa Rita, Apartado Postal 592, La Paz, B.C.S., México, C.P. 23096
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: L.A. Abitia-Cárdenas, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR-IPN), Departamento de Pesquerías y Biología Marina, Avenida Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n Col, Playa Palo de Santa Rita, Apartado Postal 592, La Paz, B.C.S., México, C.P. 23096 email: laabitia@gmail.com
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Abstract

Elasmobranchs are frequently apex predators in marine ecosystems, and information on their diet is essential for understanding trophic relationships in these systems. The diet of the sicklefin smooth-hound, Mustelus lunulatus, was investigated through analysis of gut contents. The diet was relatively homogeneous and was dominated by crustaceans, consisting mostly of the anomuran crab Munida tenella (percentage of the prey-specific index of relative importance (%PSIRI) = 30.5) and the bigtooth rock crab Cancer amphioetus (%PSIRI = 9.9). Use of cumulative prey curves as a measure of precision indicated that data were sufficient to fully describe the diet of M. lunulatus. Further studies are necessary to fully characterize diet across sexes and successive age-classes.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2012

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