Sex differences on the feeding of the gobiid fish Bathygobius soporator in tide pools of Maiandeua Island, Pará, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Bathygobius soporator (Valenciennes, 1837) is one of the most common fi shes in tide pools in the estuary of Pará state, and has an omnivorous feeding habit. This study examined the diet of the species in Maiandeua Island, and aimed to: (i) describe the diet of B. soporator through indexes based on the occurrence and weight of consumed items; and (ii) evaluate if there is variation in diet composition between males and females. Frequency of Occurrence, frequency of weight and Alimentary Index were calculated for each item, and diff erences in the diet composition of males and females were observed through multivariate analyses (ANOSIM, NMDS and SIMPER). Bathygobius soporator presented carnivorous feeding habit, eating mainly crustaceans, and diff erences among males and females were observed, males consuming smaller amounts of crustaceans and including algae in their diet. KEYWORDS. Estuaries, diet, trophic guild.RESUMO. Diferença entre sexos na alimentação do peixe gobídeo Bathygobius soporator em poças de maré da Ilha de Maiandeua, Pará, Brasil. Bathygobius soporator (Valenciennes, 1837) é um dos peixes mais comuns em poças de maré no estuário paraense e apresenta hábito alimentar onívoro. Esse estudo examinou a dieta da espécie na Ilha de Maiandeua, com o objetivo de: (i) descrever a dieta de B. soporator através de índices baseados na ocorrência e biomassa dos itens alimentares; (ii) avaliar se há variação na composição da dieta entre machos e fêmeas. Calculou-se a frequência de ocorrência, frequência de peso e o Índice de Importância Alimentar, e utilizaram-se análises multivariadas (ANOSIM, NMDS e SIMPER) para avaliar a diferença na composição da dieta de machos e fêmeas. Bathygobius soporator apresentou hábito carnívoro, consumindo predominantemente crustáceos, e houve variação na dieta de machos e fêmeas, sendo que machos consumiram crustáceos em menor quantidade e incluíram algas em sua dieta.PALAVRAS-CHAVE. Estuário, dieta, guilda trófi ca.

Scanning electron microscopic and histological studies of the buccal cavity of a phytoplanktivorous small freshwater fish, Amblypharyngodon mola

“…To date, most of the studies on oral architectures in relation to food are performed on carnivorous and omnivorous fishes [e.g., Mystus vittatus (Chattopadhyay, Nandi, & Saikia, 2014), Rita rita (Yashpal et al, 2006), Sparus aurata (El Bakary, 2012), Clarias gariepinus (Gamal et al, 2012), Bathygobius soporator (Soares, Lobato, Freitas, Oliveira‐Raiol, & Montag, 2016)], and a very few reports are available from herbivorous fish [e.g., surgeonfishes (Fishelson & Delarea, 2014)]. As revealed by Nandi and Saikia (2015), the small fish A. mola is completely herbivorous and it is really interesting to see the mouth architecture of this fish in relation to such herbivorous feeding habit.…”

The fish community in Gulf of Mexico mangroves, a response to hydrological restoration

“…This species was absent on the channel under restoration, and it was the most abundant visiting species in the conserved channel. This small benthic species (Carpenter 2002) is common euryhaline fish found in estuarine environments and mangrove areas (Arceo-Carranza & Vega-Cendejas 2009, Soares et al 2016. In 2017, this gobiid was caught in the sites under restoration; their presence resulted from the reconnection with Terminos Lagoon because this species enters estuarine areas with tidal movements (Ellis & Bell 2008).…”

Biological and ecological aspects of Bathygobius soporator (Valenciennes, 1837) (Perciformes, Gobiidae) from Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil

“…Among these fishes, the family Gobiidae is represented by about 240 genera and more than 2000 species (Nelson et al, 2016), contributing to the greatest diversity among tropical and subtropical marine fishes (Zanlorenzi & de Tarso Chaves, 2011). The gobiid species Bathygobius soporator (Valenciennes, 1837) is a common inhabitant of the estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs and rocky environments of the American Atlantic coast (Soares et al, 2016). Although abundant on the Brazilian coast, studies involving the population dynamics of this species in natural environments are scarce, mostly due to the difficulties of its sampling with conventional fishing artifacts (Kovacic, 2007).…”

“…Although abundant on the Brazilian coast, studies involving the population dynamics of this species in natural environments are scarce, mostly due to the difficulties of its sampling with conventional fishing artifacts (Kovacic, 2007). Bathygobius soporator's feeding ecology indicates that the species presents a broad trophic spectrum, classified as an opportunistic predator (omnivorous diet) on the coast of Rio de Janeiro (Nascimento & Peret, 1986) and Bahia (Lopes & Oliveira-Silva, 1998), with a tendency to crustacean-eating and accidental ingestion of algae on the coast of Pará (Soares et al, 2016). However, there is no consensus among studies on whether algae intake is accidental or part of this species' diet.…”

“…However, there is no consensus among studies on whether algae intake is accidental or part of this species' diet. Studies show that algae ingestion is a consequence of the species' pre-reproductive behavior, since males cleanse the nest area through ingestion of algae and other debris, which may explain the occurrence of macroalgae as stomach contents in males of B. soporator (Tavolga, 1954;Soares et al, 2016).…”